Choosing a career path is an important decision at a point in one’s life. This decision can either make or mar you. Hence, one needs to be very careful when making this kind of decision. If you want to organize a social platform for employers and potential job seekers to meet, you’ll definitely need help to carry out this great task. Here are few tips on organizing great career fairs;
Identify Your Target: You have to identify your target. Who exactly is the job expo for? Is it for high school students who intend to seek part time jobs, those who are planning to progress into colleges and universities and need a job to survive, those who just gained admission into higher institutions of learning and need to get jobs to finance their schooling, or is it going to be for anyone who hungers for an outstanding career in life? Identify all this and be specific. Understand what you intend to achieve at the end of the fair. Be sure of your target audience, in order not to get the youths more confused when they meet employers from different sectors.
Know Your Area of Interest: Do you just want to organize a career fair for those who are willing to go for medical jobs or for those planning to venture into the law world or a medium to create a rethink for those who are in the wrong career path? Have a draft of your area of concentration. Invite intelligent and helping hands to plan with you. Understand your plans; when you know what you want, you’ll get what you want (to achieve). Know your area of concentration and interest.
Work out The Cost: You have to know your budget after the laid down plans. What is the cost of organizing a career fair? Well this depends on your financial capability, the sponsorship you get and the size of your target. Is it an open space or a hall? If it is a hall, how many can it accommodate? Know what you have on ground and how much you need to get. Have a written calculation of your expected revenue and intended expenditure. Proper financial planning is key when organizing a career fair.
Work on The Location: Try to get a location that will be convenient and easy to locate. The roads to the venue should be free of traffic, bumps and accessible, to a great extent. Location matters; work towards reachable and attractive location. It could be in a high school, college, university or very close to a higher institution of learning. This will foster the expected turnout of those who will benefit from the fair. Work on a good location.
Maximize Your Resources: Make the best use of the available resources and incoming/expected resources. Don’t run into a deficit in the long run.
Be informed and Carry out Research: Information is vital and research work is very important too. As the organizer, you have to be well informed and carry out as many researches as possible. Learn more, know more, seek more, get more and say yes to research activities. Embrace versatility. Know a little about all careers and carry out a survey on employers of labour. Don’t be a novice in any field of study and career paths. Be well informed!
Get Professionals (including experienced employees and great employers) From Different Fields, Sectors and Companies: All hands must be on deck in order to achieve a desirable result. Organizing a career fair means you to create a medium where great employers and potential job seekers can meet and you also want to educate people on their careers and proposed fields. Then you have to get people who are professionals and employers and who are at the top of their careers. They’ll serve as role models to the audience. They’ll be able to share their educational and personal experiences. Evaluated experience is the best teacher, so get the best brains that will bring out the best in them. Invite professionals.
Read and Recommend Books: Readers are leaders, you’re reading this article and that’s great! Read all you need to know on organizing a career fair and read extensively. Read helpful materials on different career paths and also recommend these books when the career fair becomes a reality.
Be Conversant With Job Trends: Before you gather a group of people for a career fair, know what’s in for them after accomplishing their careers. What’s the economy portraying of certain careers? What are the rates of employment or unemployment in some fields and sectors? What happens to them after attaining their certificates? Are there rooms for instant employment? “What’s next?” these questions are very important. Don’t just lecture them, advise and proffer solutions if possible to problems and challenges in their careers. Educate them on résumés and how to build a good CV. Talk about online job opportunities too, also give room for participants to ask questions.
Be An Example: You shouldn’t organize a career fair if you don’t have a career. “res ipsa loquitur” (let the facts speak for themselves). Be a good example of what you want to promote, be learned, be informed and be inspiring! And remember; you can do it!
photo credit; careerealism.com
