Page 152 - Oscar Adler - Sell Yourself in Any Interview_ Use Proven Sales Techniques to Land Your Dream Job (2008)

SELL YOURSELF IN ANY INTERVIEW

features and their most valuable benefits. You must practice
your elevator interview over and over until you can do it
smoothly and with confidence.

SURVIVING JOB FAIRS

Job fairs present a unique interviewing situation. Most often
job fairs are hosted by colleges and universities, professional
associations and industry groups, or governmental bodies
(such as municipalities, states or counties, or administrative
agencies). They usually take place in large venues, such as
halls or hotels. Different companies and hiring agencies send
HR staff to act as recruiters.
A job fair may last several hours or several days. It can
be an exhausting and frustrating experience—unless you are
prepared. Here are some tools that will help you to navigate
the fair, narrow your focus, and stand out in the crowd:
1. Arrive early, at the beginning of the day, if possible.
Interviewers will be fresh, the fair will be less crowded,
and first impressions can be lasting ones.

2. When you first arrive, review the companies and jobs
available. Decide which booths to visit, and rank them
in order of importance to you. Then look at the map,
determine where your top prospects are located, and
plan to go there first. Set up a rough schedule to max-
imize the efficiency of your day. If you register early,
ask for any materials that may be available ahead
of time.

3. The interviewers at job fairs are usually HR personnel,
especially if they represent a large firm. A smaller com-
pany, however, may not have an HR department, and the

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