A job fair gives you the opportunity to put your resume into the hands of a lot of potential employers in a single day. Although most hiring situations limit your initial interaction with an employer to perusing a company website and submitting your resume, at a job or career fair you can speak face to face with a company representative and ask questions about the business and the job openings they may have. A resume provides a quick way of presenting your qualifications to the employer.
Polish
Make sure your resume is as informative and up to date as you can make it. Double-check your spelling and grammar. Follow a standard resume format and stick to a single page. Print the resume in black ink or high-quality paper.
Customize
The Virginia Tech University Career Center suggests you create a different resume for each kind of job you're seeking. You don't need a special resume for each employer, but if you're considering teaching and research positions, for example, you want two resumes, each emphasizing your experience in these areas.
Post
Some job fairs give you the option of uploading your resume to an online resume book. Potential employers can look through these resumes before the job fair and make note of candidates who particularly interest them. Make sure your resume is typo free and in the proper format before you upload it.
Make Copies
Even if you upload your resume to an online resume book, take plenty of copies with you to the job fair. Recruiters at job fairs probably won't have access to the online resume files while they're talking with you. Give them something to hold in their hand and discuss when you meet them.
Know Resume
The recruiter probably won't have time to read the whole resume at the fair, so it's a good idea to be able to point to particular qualifications that may interest him. The Career Center at Cabrillo College in California suggests you read through your resume before the job fair and be prepared to answer any questions about it or to discuss any of the details.
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