Your good shoes have been asking to go out.
I went to Monster's Keep America Working Tour job fair at a hotel in New Jersey last week. My best friend encouraged me to go; she'd been to one in Virginia and found it helpful to talk to other job seekers and the firms that were hiring. I printed out 12 copies of my resume, put on my interviewing clothes, and drove to the hotel.
Leaving my purse in the car, I asked the hotel's front desk for an envelope to leave my car key in, so my hands were free. Then I followed the signs to the ballroom, took a deep breath, and stepped in.
Everyone—I mean everyone—was wearing the requisite navy or black. Instead of joining a long line of people waiting to be interviewed by several employment agencies at the fair, I walked around the room in a relaxed way and got my bearings. The night before I scoped out the list of participating companies online, and targeted two firms I wanted to talk to. I quickly met with both of them, left my resume, and got their cards. Then I poured myself a glass of cold water from the icy pitchers on a side table and surveyed the crowd. A man who was doing the same thing asked me how I was doing. "This is actually kind of fun," I said, smiling. "I wouldn't call it fun," he said wanly, as he packed his briefcase and prepared to leave. I drank another glass of ice water. All around me, people were smiling, trying to look and act their best.
At the far end of the room, people sitting in rows listened to a recruiter from Monster talk about how to get a job, and what recruiters look for. I sat down, open to suggestions.
The recruiter, Paul, stressed how important handwritten thank-you notes are in this electronic age. He had only received four (four!) from the thousands of people he had interviewed over the years, and said he remembered those four and made a special effort to make sure they got jobs.
Paul urged all job hunters to include an Objective on their resume, so a recruiter instantly knows the kind of job you're looking for. Not that long ago, an Objective was at the top of everyone's resume, but apparently in recent years the practice has fallen away.
Updating your resume to highlight your most marketable skills is also a must.
And because most recruiters are women, and women care about shoes, Paul gave a special shout-out, especially to the men, to wear their best shoes to interviews. I think his exact words were, "This is the time to break out the Cole Haans."
After the job fair, I went right home, pulled up my resume, and brought my most marketable skill—my web writing—to the top of my resume. Then I wrote out a clear Objective, clarifying to potential employers (and myself) that I'm looking for a job that uses my writing and editing skills. I emailed some thank you notes, and snail mailed the same people on plain little note cards. Then I looked down at my shoes: black suede MaryJane Delmans, $6 from the thrift shop and looking brand new. Check.
All in all, it was a fruitful day. I came away with some solid pointers, a fresh perspective, and new ideas. I was surprised I enjoyed the job fair as much as I did. I'd encourage anyone who's feeling beaten down by the search for work to step out and go to a job fair. You'll see you're not the only person looking for employment. And your good shoes have been asking to go out.
