That career fair at the convention center last fall totally changed my networking approach

I went to a big career fair in Atlanta back in September and spent the first hour handing out resumes like candy. Nobody remembered me. Then I overheard a guy talking to a recruiter about a specific project they worked on at their old job. That got the recruiter's attention way more than any paper. I started doing the same thing - mentioning one real thing I did at my last gig instead of listing skills. I got three follow up interviews that day. Has anyone else noticed that just talking about your actual work gets better results than the standard pitch?

2 comments

2 Comments

brian_jackson13d ago

I get what you're saying but I kinda disagree. That "handing out resumes like candy" thing actually worked for me at a few fairs. I think it depends on the recruiter. Some of them want to see that paper first so they have something to look at while they talk to you. If you just start talking about a project without giving them your resume they might forget your name five minutes later. I've had recruiters tell me straight up they need the resume to remember who they talked to. Also not everyone is good at telling a quick story about their work on the spot. I'd rather have a solid resume and a short honest pitch than try to wing a project story that comes out messy. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

matthewp5213d ago

Man, I gotta say I think you're overthinking this whole thing a bit (which is fine, we all do it). Is it really that big a deal if a recruiter forgets your name five minutes later? Half the time they're just collecting resumes to pile up with the other 200 anyway. I've seen those same "remember who they talked to" recruiters toss a stack of paper in a bin by the end of the day, no joke. A firm handshake and a "nice to meet you" probably sticks longer than another sheet of printer paper they're gonna shuffle through later.