A Day At The Career Fair

Although a lot of the job search is done online these days, there is still a place for the real world.  Face-to-face networking still remains a great technique and there's no better place for it than a career fair.

Career fairs are happening all the time, so check often to see if there are any happening in your area.  You will have to choose the fair that has the most relevance to your search.  This can be done by checking which companies will be attending.  Most fairs will have this list on their websites, so you will be able to see if there are any nonprofits attending.  Once you find that out, you need to start preparing.

Make sure that you bring enough copies of your resume and cover letter.  You may only be planning on going to a few booths, but it's better to be over-prepared.  You should also prepare a number of elevator speeches tailored towards each organization you visit.  Remember to practice them enough so that you don't have to read off of a script, and don't be afraid to improvise.

When it comes time to head to the fair, try and get there at least an hour before it begins.  The crowds will get larger as the day gets later, and you will find it hard to get everything done when you are competing with hundreds of other people.  This also has another benefit: It will show potential employers that you are serious about creating good contacts.  Make sure that, along with your resume and cover letter, you have a number of business cards that you can give to potential networking contacts.

The most important thing you can do to prepare for a career fair is to set goals.  Aside from speaking to all of the organizations you are interested in, try and get X number of business cards by the end of the day, or some other tangible goal that will motivate you.  It can never be overstated how much reaching a goal can boost your confidence and make you feel accomplished.

NPT Jobs Recommends: 7/11/2011

The beautiful yet horrible weather continues this week on the east coast.  Although the skies have been blue, the heat has been almost unbearable.  Luckily air conditioning exists.

• 'Sorry Gang.  It Takes Effort'-An interesting post on job boards.  The author believes they should be used mainly as a tool, not a primary source for your job search.
• 'Motivation Monday: Visualization'-The Career Sherpa writes up a useful meditation-like exercise on how you can visualize your perfect job.  This isn't for everybody, but I find it very fascinating and I think it could be useful for a lot of people out there.
• 'Are Job Fairs a Good Use of Your Job Search Time?'-Job fairs are definitely a good use of your time, but you should definitely heed the advice of this article: Before you attend, make sure there are organizations there that are of interest to you and, most importantly of all, make sure they are actually hiring.

Nonprofit Career Fairs

Attending a nonprofit career fair is a great way to boost your job search.  Even if the jobs there ultimately don't interest you, it makes for great networking opportunities.  So where can you attend one of these events?  Luckily for you, career fairs are happening almost all the time across the United States.  I recently read about an upcoming career fair in Portland, OR.  It's being held on November 1, 2011 at Portland State University.  That seems like an eternity from now, but it's never too early to plan.  Here is the address if you are interested in attending:

The SMSU Ballroom
1825 SW Broadway
3rd Floor
Portalnd, OR

If you have any more questions about this career fair, you can contact PSU on their website.  I'll be keeping an eye out for other nonprofit career fairs across the country, so stay tuned!  And if you know of any happening in your area, please let me know by leaving a comment!

Nonprofit Career Round-Up: 5/4/2011

Happy Star Wars Day everybody!  What?  You didn't know that May 4th was Star Wars Day?  Well, you do now!  With that in mind, here are today's nonprofit links:

• '10 Tips to Find a Job (or a better job) in the Nonprofit Sector'-This post is from Regis University's Career Center blog.  As the title suggests, it lists 10 ways to get a non profit job.  I thought number 10 was a very good point. 
• There will be a Nonprofit Career Conference on June 16th at Cal State East Bay's Oakland Center in Oakland, CA.  If you're around that area, try and attend.

Nonprofit Career Round-Up: 4/29/2011

Well, today was the Royal Wedding; did anybody actually wake up at 4 AM to see it?  I was kind of curious, but there isn't much that is going to get me up at that time.  In honor of the wedding, I am only going to post British nonprofit job links!....Just kidding.

• 'How to Engage Your Community on Twitter'-Looking to work as a social media expert at a nonprofit organization?  Check out this article, it gives some great tips on how to get the most out of Twitter for your business.
• There will be a nonprofit career fair at DePaul University on May 12.  If you are interested in attending, it runs from 11 AM-3 PM in the Lincoln Park Student Center.  Get networking, people!
• 'How Mature Is Your Nonprofit's Social Media Practice?'-Beth's Blog is one of the premier blogs about nonprofits on the Internet, and this post shows why.  Once again, if you are interested in doing social media work for nonprofits, this is a must read.

Nonprofit Career Round-Up: 4/26/2011

Here are the interesting links I have found for today...

• 'Career Fair Success Plan'-This is a good article about how to best prepare for a career fair.  It is helpful for those who are planning one as well as those who are attending them.
• '5 Time Management Tips For Busy Nonprofit Executives'-This is for any nonprofit executives that may be, by chance, reading this blog.  I always believed time management was the most underrated skill for any employee to have.
• 'When Positive Thinking Is Not Enough'-I am a big believer in positive thinking when it comes to the job search.  But it is true that it can only get you so far.  This is a good post on concrete actions you can take to make your search more successful.

Nonprofit Career Round-Up: 4/14/2011

Guess like the weather decided to cooperate today: it's absolutely beautiful today in New Jersey; something that we couldn't say for most of this week (and the past few weeks, for that matter).  Of course, it's supposed to rain again this weekend, so I guess we have to enjoy this while it lasts.  Anyway, here are today's non profit job links...

• 'My First Nonprofit Job'-A nice little story from The Nonprofit Consultant blog.  Also gives you a good idea how much volunteering can help you can get started in the non profit sector (yes, I'm harping on this a lot, but it's true).
• There's going to be a Nonprofit Career Conference in San Francisco on June 16th.  It will be held at 5:00 PM, although the exact location has yet to be announced.  If you live in the bay area, you should check this out.  Keep an eye out on OpportunityKnocks for more information about the conference.

Nonprofit Career Round-Up-3/30/2011

Another day, another round-up.  Let's see what the internet has in store for us today...

• The Philadelphia Non Profit & Government Career Fair-The Temple University CPSD Blog posted a notice about this fair, as well as a list of why you should consider a career in nonprofits.  I especially appreciate the fact that they dispell the myth that working at a nonprofit means you will make no money.
• '5 Social Media Myths' from the Nonprofit Law Blog-Are you hoping to do social media work for a nonprofit organization?  Then you really need to check out this articl by The Nonprofit Law Blog.  Point number one in this article is most important so even if you don't have time to read it at all, make sure you read that part.
• 'More College Grads Are Taking Nonprofit Jobs.  But is it Just a Fad?' from GOOD-Interesting article from GOOD about a recent study showing more and more college grads are flocking to nonprofits. It's definitely worth wondering how long this trend will continue.