Outreach Ministries: Organize a Career Fair

A Career Fair is a wonderful opportunity for job hunters to secure a bunch of leads in one place. They are introduced to careers that they would not otherwise have considered, and learn valuable networking skills. Career Fairs can also be extremely tedious to organize. Below are some guidelines to consider that will help guide you through the process.

• What do you want to Accomplish? - What will the scope of your job fair be? Arts & Humanities? Computer and Technical Skills? Minority and Bi-Lingual Opportunities? Once you decide your focus, you can determine what companies to invite. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Consider partnering with other organizations that already sponsor career development events or working with individuals at area institutions to pool resources.
• What Activities do you want to Include? – Do you want a standard set up of tables lined up in a large reception hall, manned by company representatives, handing out flyers? Or do you want to add more interactive elements? There are many options, ranging from a formal keynote speech to an informal networking reception. For example, workshops offer you the opportunity to provide your attendees with a great deal of information on a given topic, like grant writing, resume writing, or interviewing skills. For more general options panel discussions, short presentations, and informal lunches/receptions are all great ways to let your attendees learn about the variety of careers available to them.
• Identify Key Staff and Volunteers- These individuals are critical to the success of the career fair. With their support, your efforts to organize this event will be much easier. These individuals may be able to help you secure funds, provide administrative help, suggest potential speakers, or provide you with contacts at companies.
• Be organized, ask for advice, and be prepared for the unexpected. Organization is key to having a successful event. Reserve conference rooms early. Don't go on assumptions, and double-check reservations/confirmations. Speakers and panelists may cancel at the last minute, so be prepared to handle such situations--don't panic.
• Inviting People- Approximately 3 months before the fair, you should send out an invitation letter to the companies on your list. Your database may list several individuals at the same company and, at this point, it is best to send them each an invitation. Although a flier is a good way to announce your event to the general job-hunting public, the company invitation should always be a business letter, addressing a specific individual. The first line should read something like:

“We would like to invite [COMPANY] to participate in the First Annual Career Fair on January 01, 2007 at [Location], 1 American Drive, Jobville”.

Approximately 1 month before the event, you should mail an acknowledgment letter to the companies that have accepted your invitation. Restate the date and time of the event and its purpose. Also, include information about the attendance number and/or demographics of the attendees; the company representatives will find this information helpful.

Costs

One of the first things you should do when you start planning is come up with a list of items and resources you will need. This becomes your wish list, and you'll begin looking for sources that will pay for or donate the various items.

• Space:Your institution may be happy to let you use a room for free (unlike a hotel or convention hall, where there will be a fee). However, even at your own institution, there will likely be small costs associated with the room. A setup fee may be charged to cover the time the maintenance staff spends arranging the room's chairs and tables. Additionally, there may be a fee for AV equipment (microphones, projectors, etc.). And a cleanup fee may be applied, especially in rooms where food has been served.
• Food : During a morning or afternoon break, you may choose to serve coffee, soda, cookies, and/or other munchies. The advantage of these informal gatherings is the opportunity for attendees to network with one another and with the corporate representatives. You and your career fair committee can do these coffee breaks yourselves--buying the supplies and setting up--for a fairly reasonable amount of money. Many delicatessens or bakeries will deliver products to your door for little or no charge. Although a professional catering service would make your job easier--handling many of the logistics--it would cost significantly more.

  If you decide to have a break room and/or storage space for your corporate representatives--where they can store valuables or make necessary cell phone calls--you may wish to stock this room with some refreshments and munchies. Keeping corporate reps happy is a great step toward assuring their participation next year! You may also wish to serve lunch. This gets expensive quickly, but many attendees and corporate reps may not mind paying $5 or so for a box lunch.

• Copying, Printing, and Paper: This will be the second biggest expense, after the room/refreshment allocation. What documents will you need to create? First are the invitation letter and registration form. With the ease of creating logos and images via computer, you could easily print your own and save money in this key area. More and more, paper letters are discouraged. PDF versions of the invitation and registration form are becoming the standard. Obviously, this will save you both time and money.

  If you go the paper route, your registration form, directions, and publicity flyers can all be photocopied on regular paper. To begin estimating costs, decide how many copies of each item you will need. If you choose to do something fancy, such as using colored paper that will increase your costs. You'll also need to decide how you would like to print your program with the day's schedule and company descriptions. Will it be an all-glossy program, or a couple of photocopied pages with a snazzy cover? Obviously, this is one choice that will probably be heavily influenced by your financial resources. Other printed items to consider: Do you want to do a large version of the poster? In color? Or to mount a poster on foam core to place on easels the day of the fair? Size, color, and mounting choices will increase your costs.

• As you plan your career fair, remember that you do not need a huge budget to pull it off. You'll need some funding and resources, but with a little creativity and flexibility, you should be able to cobble together the necessary support. Good luck!

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