mercedsunstar.com :: Fairs, objectives and snooping

Q: CAREER FAIRS

I've never been to a career fair. How can I get ready for the one next week? -- On the Mark

A: Career fairs aren't much different from job interviews in duplicate and triplicate, Mark. They're just more intense. You may feel like a loner in a herd of sheep as the crowd around you lunges from booth to booth. Feeling a little shy or uncertain? Companies save money by exhibiting; recruiters must justify the cost. That means that you're in an excellent position to find a listening ear, even with everyone else milling around. Companies want the face-to-face contact to determine a good skill and personality match. They're motivated to respond immediately if something clicks.

Be equally motivated. Make it easy for employers to meet you. Study the roster of participants before you go. Plan your attack:

research exhibitors before you go;
identify companies of greatest interest;
prioritize the companies, in case you run out of time;
develop a walking tour from materials you receive in advance or at the information desk;
stick to your priorities, even if that means back-tracking;
pick up all of the literature you can find; and
keep your resume to yourself, if possible, so you can go home and tailor it to a live one.

While you're walking around and interviewing, keep telling yourself, "They're paying money to meet ME!" -- mlc

Q: (RESUME) OBJECTIVES

Some people say I need an objective on my resume, but I don't have any idea what I want to do. Do I have to have one? -- Blinders

A: Oh, Blinders. You're like a horse pulling a carriage with no idea of where he's going. Employers can tell that the minute they pick up your resume.

O.K. So you don't know what you want to do. Don't abrogate your career to a company. Companies hire to fill their needs. You need to be certain that the work will fill yours.

Stash your resume in your desk drawer. Decide which skills you'd like to use. Research careers that use them. Do gut-checks. If you enjoy presenting information to others, decide whether you might like to research, sell, package or promote products or services, or train other employees or their customers post-sale.

Do I see you yawning or feeling letdown? You've either chosen the wrong skill or the wrong types of departments to work in. Figure this out first. Then consider companies. Write an objective to lead employers through your resume the way YOU want it read. Invite them to hire you for what YOU want! Make yourself visible, sharply. You can't be too clear. -- mlc

**blogTip**

SNOOP DETAIL

Are you job hunting on the QT? Oh, yeah, you tell your friends. But what about everyone else?

Sipping a latte at Starbucks, you whip out your laptop and flip up the top. It's ready to go, and so is the information on it -- right outta the screen into the nearest pair of eyes.

On the 8:00 a.m. shuttle out of the airport, the guy next to you feigns interest in your palm pilot. He's really trying to read what's there.

With hand on hip and an arm dangling from the top of your cubicle, Co-worker Y seems to be talking to you about work. Between glances at your computer.

Across a desk, Co-worker Z cranes his neck into a U-turn to read what's on your screen, upside down.

Survey results released by 3M, manufacturer of privacy filters, warn you to watch out. An astonishing 72 percent of Americans have snooped on a computer screen that wasn't theirs. A full 63 percent peeked at a co-worker's screen; 26 percent in a doctor's office; 24 percent in an airport or on a plane. In public places, 36 percent have read over another person's shoulder.

Worse than that, 90 percent have admitted to snooping while traveling.