The US News and World Report recently released its list of the best colleges in the country. College is a stimulating place of discovery and opportunity that can have an immense impact on the rest of one’s life. A campus career fair can be a stepping stone into a realized future for students and recruiters. Students learn how important these fairs are, but are recruiters maximizing their results?

Adapt These 7 Steps for Maximum Campus Career Fair Victory:

1. Promote Prior to the Event

If you know you will be attending a career fair in the near future, tell the world! Promoting on social media can be the fastest and most effective way to get the word out there. Forty-two% of companies say that candidate quality has improved thanks to social recruiting. Give the students something to look forward to beforehand, and they will know exactly which booth to beeline to when the floodgates open.

2. Be Prepared

What is the main reason for attending? Is it for the internship program? Is it for one or two entry-level positions? Part-time work? Identifying the purpose of the trip will help focus you when trying to weed out all of the walk-ups.  Set your parameters early in order to filter out the number of students that automatically do not qualify.

3. Don’t Overdress

Students carefully choose what they wear to an interview. They want to convey how professional and put-together they are while still feeling comfortable enough to be themselves. You should put as much thought into what you wear as well! If your everyday attire is not a full formal suit, don’t wear that to a career fair. Represent the company culture through your effortless ensemble.With 89% of hiring failures attributed to poor cultural fit, a genuine representation through attire can be telling. Business causal is way less intimidating and far less off-putting than a full formal get-up.

4. Polish Your Booth

A clean and well-designed booth is a must for employer brand appeal and image. Fifty-six% of professionals rank talent brand as the most important factor when picking a job. A logo banner and tablecloth are obvious necessities, but what about the giveaways? If you have small trinket collateral, great! Neatly present it on your table, but please do not create clutter. Less is more. The main focus should be on the company and you. Don’t congest the area with starbursts, flimsy highlighters, or useless USB drives.

5. Initiate Contact

Are you nervous? Doesn’t matter. The students are 10 times as nervous as you are. They just came from a 300-level course stressing how pivotal internships are to their futures. Many will be too intimidated or shy to initiate contact, so start building a rapport through easy questions. Inquire about their major, or ask if you could tell them about your company.

Find out what #6 and #7 are…

Originally posted on Recruiter.com

Photo Credit: Bari D via Compfight cc

Maren Hogan

Maren Hogan is CEO of Red Branch and general Bad@$$

Maren Hogan is a seasoned marketer and community builder in the HR and Recruiting industry. Maren started Red Branch Media and, before she hired all the smiling faces you see below, she ran it on her own. In marketing for over 15 years, she has deep experience in strategic campaigns and a long-term, results-based operational approach.