What Kind of Resume for a Job Fair?

March 8, 2013 3:01 PM

After working for myself for several years (while taking care of a parent) I'm about to enter the job market again. I'm going to a very large job fair next week, and I'm suppose to bring a resume. I'm not sure how that works. Help?

It's a job fair for entry level jobs across many different employers. So there's going to be restaurants hiring, hospitals hiring, business offices hiring, etc. Hiring will supposedly be done on the spot. You're also suppose to be bring a resume.

It's been years since I've made a resume, and I'm a little bit lost at how to make one for this situation. In my past, I found a job I wanted and made a resume and cover letter geared to that job. But with so many different jobs at the fair, how can I do this? I have experience in a lot of areas, and if I knew what I wanted to do, I would gear my resume in that direction. But at this point, I'll take anything. And I'm not sure how to create a resume/cover letter that will help me accomplish that.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. I need a job.

posted by ratherbethedevil to work & money (3 answers total)

I am a teacher certified in more than one subject. When I went to a teaching job fair, I had four types of resumes. First, I made resumes and cover letters that emphasized my credentials and goals for subject #1. Then I made resumes for subject # 2. Then I made a resume that was more general and covered all my skillsets. Last, I went through the list of schools that would be there, looked at their websites for their current openings, and crafted resumes for those schools specifically. I kept each stack in a separate folder in a professional looking laptop bag, and selected one before I approached each table. You could do something similar.

Also, wear business attire and look professional. Look confident, smile, have a firm handshake, and look them in the eye, even if you're nervous. Fake it and they'll never know. It shouldn't NEED to be said that you don't wear shorts or club attire to an interview, but based on what I saw that day it needs to be said LOUDLY. :)

Good luck!
posted by rakaidan at 3:30 PM on March 8

You need to come with several versions of your resume, each customized to the different types of industries and jobs you're interested in. Hand out each as appropriate. Being successful at a job fair like this takes a lot of up-front effort.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 3:48 PM on March 8

So multiple resumes. Makes sense. Thanks!
posted by ratherbethedevil at 4:16 PM on March 8