Succeeding at a Recruitment Fair
16 August 2011
Read by 1995 persons
It is fascinating to hear how many different opinions can be expressed about the same professional fair. One personnel representative is encouraged by the number of candidates and their quality. Another is overwhelmed by the waste of time this fair represents and does not see anyone worthwhile to recruit. How can there be such contrasting opinions on the same event? To find out, let's follow the journey of two recruiters in full activity. And let's ask ourselves this question: "If I were a candidate, would I take the first step towards this company?"
Most company representatives go to job fairs without having any real recruitment objectives, communication strategy, or even the slightest understanding of the basic principles of sales and marketing. This is a fundamental error because an effective workforce can only be formed based on a carefully studied recruitment plan that involves selling the company's qualities.
Plan a program
Try to find out about the other companies that will be present at this fair. If your company is looking for IT specialists, make sure that a large number of companies in your industry will also be present. The organizers of the fair will be able to give you this kind of information. A fair that is not able to attract interesting companies is unlikely to attract a large number of candidates.
A fair well-known to candidates
Beware of fair organizers who rely solely on their database to attract candidates, as this is undoubtedly largely composed of the names of candidates who were already present at the last fair. If you want to participate in a worthwhile fair, make sure that the advertising campaign is relayed by the 'traditional' media such as newspapers, radio, television or advertising (which remain powerful information tools) but also by a direct marketing device (mailing and especially emailing) or a partnership with professional organizations. Consider also placing an advertisement announcing your presence at the fair, and let people know on your website and through the advertisements you have published, online or in the press. Most candidates still prefer to meet their potential recruiters directly. If the fair organizer plans to publish a program, include an advertising insert for your company. Depending on the size of the event, you will probably have to invest between 2000 and 5000 euros. But investing 20 to 25% more than this amount will be a guarantee of additional efficiency.
Specify the respective roles of recruiters and managers
It is wise to put together a team of four people for this fair - this team of four people can be different each day. Meet with this team a few days before the event. Each person should know all the information concerning the positions you wish to fill. Each one, whether simply a personnel representative or recruitment manager, will be assigned "specific fields of action", which will preferably focus on subjects that they know perfectly and about which they can speak easily.
Prepare from the start to meet the candidates who have contacted you via the internet, this will facilitate your prospecting. Organize applications into files categorized by profession (programmer, financial, etc.) or by recruitment department (services, marketing, technology). Don't forget to bring your usual application forms. After meeting a candidate, take some notes, staple them to the CV and file everything in the appropriate section. Stapling the documents may seem like a detail, but when it comes time to sort through all your documents, you will congratulate yourself for having made this filing effort. All these steps must be decided as a group before the fair. If your team arrives without having determined an effective strategy, everyone will act on their own and your recruitment system will have no coherence.
Prepare the fair with your team
Some companies have luxurious stands but still do not derive any advantage from the fair. Conversely, some companies that only have a modest folding table as a stand - or no stand at all - achieve brilliant prospecting. At a fair, you can reserve a space of about 6 m2 to highlight yourself and sell your image; so optimize this space. Here are some mistakes to avoid absolutely:
- Do not use the table as a wall between you and your candidates. Push it to the back of your stand. Place your fascia on it and place a small table in front of your stand on which you will place a few brochures or various items (stickers, style...) that you wish to distribute to the candidates. Keep your own documents on the back table.
- Do not sit in the armchairs installed by the organizers. Ask for them to be removed. If you are tired, take a break.
- Avoid discussions and comments with your colleagues; always be open to the outside. No one likes to interrupt a conversation and many candidates may take your lack of interest for impoliteness or a lack of seriousness in your recruitment strategy. Catch people's eyes, smile, nod to the candidates who pass in front of you. Be ready to offer them documentation. Show that you "play the game".
- Do not bring work to your stand.
- Do not use your mobile phone, candidates will think that you are too busy to talk to them. They will then go to see one of your competitors and be hired.
- Do not make remarks (or grimaces or mocking expressions) when a candidate passes in front of your stand. Other candidates will notice your immature behavior and will certainly not seek to be subjected to your recruiter's judgment.
Take care of your appearance and that of your stand
You can, for example, place balloons on your stand. Also rent a popcorn machine. Have colorful documentation printed, and make sure that the address of your recruitment website is clearly displayed. Dress according to your professional position (without overdoing the seriousness or the chic). You can also wear your company's polo shirt or T-shirt. Make sure it's easy to see that you are part of the company. The image you project is what will attract people or make them run away.
Sell your job offers outside your stand
Occasionally, send one of your team members to prospect along the interior and exterior aisles of the fair, armed with documentation to distribute. This will help you attract the attention of candidates who have not yet considered your stand and will make them want to come and meet you. When these candidates pass by the stands, they will feel obliged to come and see you. And they will tell themselves that the ice has already been broken!
React quickly and you will hire quickly
Be ready to conduct interviews at any time. Candidates will be impressed to be solicited so quickly and their tongues will quickly loosen. If one of the recruitment managers is at the stand, encourage him to conduct interviews in a private place not far from you. Always have documentation and forms to give to candidates so that they can take them home.
Tell yourself that the best candidates will have to choose between five or ten offers. So quickly put all the chances on your side.
Save yourself a large number of phone calls
After the fair, make a complete set of copies of all the CVs that have been given to you. Give these documents to the recruitment manager so that he can insert the contact details into your database. Send each of the listed candidates an email indicating the next steps. They have your contact details, so they can contact you. But call them first. During the fair, be honest. Tell each of the candidates that it will take you at least a week to "sift through" all the application files. This will allow you to contact them first. Ask your favorite candidates to call you back directly within 48 hours. This will prevent you from losing them to a competitor due to any misunderstanding or a misplaced CV.
Get a fair idea of the impact of this fair
It is not the number of recruitments you have made that determines the efficiency and impact of this fair. Recruitment procedures may be long and laborious, you will have to negotiate salaries or face a possible turnaround by the candidate. What really shows the potential of a fair is the number of candidates you have sought to interview. In addition, do not lose sight of the fact that other candidates are currently - or will be - seeking to contact your services. These candidates are people who were unable to attend the fair but who saw your advertisements or obtained some of your documentation - or one of your pens marked with your logo - from a friend and who have planned to contact you via your website. The message you have conveyed through this fair continues to spread long after the doors have closed. During the four weeks following the fair, ask all the candidates who contact you how they heard about you. This is how you will measure the real impact of this fair and increase your chances of being even more effective the following year!
Most company representatives go to job fairs without having any real recruitment objectives, communication strategy, or even the slightest understanding of the basic principles of sales and marketing. This is a fundamental error because an effective workforce can only be formed based on a carefully studied recruitment plan that involves selling the company's qualities.
Plan a program
Try to find out about the other companies that will be present at this fair. If your company is looking for IT specialists, make sure that a large number of companies in your industry will also be present. The organizers of the fair will be able to give you this kind of information. A fair that is not able to attract interesting companies is unlikely to attract a large number of candidates.
A fair well-known to candidates
Beware of fair organizers who rely solely on their database to attract candidates, as this is undoubtedly largely composed of the names of candidates who were already present at the last fair. If you want to participate in a worthwhile fair, make sure that the advertising campaign is relayed by the 'traditional' media such as newspapers, radio, television or advertising (which remain powerful information tools) but also by a direct marketing device (mailing and especially emailing) or a partnership with professional organizations. Consider also placing an advertisement announcing your presence at the fair, and let people know on your website and through the advertisements you have published, online or in the press. Most candidates still prefer to meet their potential recruiters directly. If the fair organizer plans to publish a program, include an advertising insert for your company. Depending on the size of the event, you will probably have to invest between 2000 and 5000 euros. But investing 20 to 25% more than this amount will be a guarantee of additional efficiency.
Specify the respective roles of recruiters and managers
It is wise to put together a team of four people for this fair - this team of four people can be different each day. Meet with this team a few days before the event. Each person should know all the information concerning the positions you wish to fill. Each one, whether simply a personnel representative or recruitment manager, will be assigned "specific fields of action", which will preferably focus on subjects that they know perfectly and about which they can speak easily.
Prepare from the start to meet the candidates who have contacted you via the internet, this will facilitate your prospecting. Organize applications into files categorized by profession (programmer, financial, etc.) or by recruitment department (services, marketing, technology). Don't forget to bring your usual application forms. After meeting a candidate, take some notes, staple them to the CV and file everything in the appropriate section. Stapling the documents may seem like a detail, but when it comes time to sort through all your documents, you will congratulate yourself for having made this filing effort. All these steps must be decided as a group before the fair. If your team arrives without having determined an effective strategy, everyone will act on their own and your recruitment system will have no coherence.
Prepare the fair with your team
Some companies have luxurious stands but still do not derive any advantage from the fair. Conversely, some companies that only have a modest folding table as a stand - or no stand at all - achieve brilliant prospecting. At a fair, you can reserve a space of about 6 m2 to highlight yourself and sell your image; so optimize this space. Here are some mistakes to avoid absolutely:
- Do not use the table as a wall between you and your candidates. Push it to the back of your stand. Place your fascia on it and place a small table in front of your stand on which you will place a few brochures or various items (stickers, style...) that you wish to distribute to the candidates. Keep your own documents on the back table.
- Do not sit in the armchairs installed by the organizers. Ask for them to be removed. If you are tired, take a break.
- Avoid discussions and comments with your colleagues; always be open to the outside. No one likes to interrupt a conversation and many candidates may take your lack of interest for impoliteness or a lack of seriousness in your recruitment strategy. Catch people's eyes, smile, nod to the candidates who pass in front of you. Be ready to offer them documentation. Show that you "play the game".
- Do not bring work to your stand.
- Do not use your mobile phone, candidates will think that you are too busy to talk to them. They will then go to see one of your competitors and be hired.
- Do not make remarks (or grimaces or mocking expressions) when a candidate passes in front of your stand. Other candidates will notice your immature behavior and will certainly not seek to be subjected to your recruiter's judgment.
Take care of your appearance and that of your stand
You can, for example, place balloons on your stand. Also rent a popcorn machine. Have colorful documentation printed, and make sure that the address of your recruitment website is clearly displayed. Dress according to your professional position (without overdoing the seriousness or the chic). You can also wear your company's polo shirt or T-shirt. Make sure it's easy to see that you are part of the company. The image you project is what will attract people or make them run away.
Sell your job offers outside your stand
Occasionally, send one of your team members to prospect along the interior and exterior aisles of the fair, armed with documentation to distribute. This will help you attract the attention of candidates who have not yet considered your stand and will make them want to come and meet you. When these candidates pass by the stands, they will feel obliged to come and see you. And they will tell themselves that the ice has already been broken!
React quickly and you will hire quickly
Be ready to conduct interviews at any time. Candidates will be impressed to be solicited so quickly and their tongues will quickly loosen. If one of the recruitment managers is at the stand, encourage him to conduct interviews in a private place not far from you. Always have documentation and forms to give to candidates so that they can take them home.
Tell yourself that the best candidates will have to choose between five or ten offers. So quickly put all the chances on your side.
Save yourself a large number of phone calls
After the fair, make a complete set of copies of all the CVs that have been given to you. Give these documents to the recruitment manager so that he can insert the contact details into your database. Send each of the listed candidates an email indicating the next steps. They have your contact details, so they can contact you. But call them first. During the fair, be honest. Tell each of the candidates that it will take you at least a week to "sift through" all the application files. This will allow you to contact them first. Ask your favorite candidates to call you back directly within 48 hours. This will prevent you from losing them to a competitor due to any misunderstanding or a misplaced CV.
Get a fair idea of the impact of this fair
It is not the number of recruitments you have made that determines the efficiency and impact of this fair. Recruitment procedures may be long and laborious, you will have to negotiate salaries or face a possible turnaround by the candidate. What really shows the potential of a fair is the number of candidates you have sought to interview. In addition, do not lose sight of the fact that other candidates are currently - or will be - seeking to contact your services. These candidates are people who were unable to attend the fair but who saw your advertisements or obtained some of your documentation - or one of your pens marked with your logo - from a friend and who have planned to contact you via your website. The message you have conveyed through this fair continues to spread long after the doors have closed. During the four weeks following the fair, ask all the candidates who contact you how they heard about you. This is how you will measure the real impact of this fair and increase your chances of being even more effective the following year!
