In the course of your job hunt, you are likely to attend one or more career fairs. They can be frustrating – waiting in line just for a few words with a recruiter, and giving him or her your resume. But they can also be an opportunity to learn about career opportunities and do some networking.

The question you want to think about is what you want to get from a job fair. The odds of actually getting an interview by attending a job fair are remote. But there are two things you can get at a job fair. The first is finding out what kind of jobs are out there, learning about companies you didn’t know about who could use your skills.

The other thing that career fairs offer is the opportunity to network, to talk to people and learn about their companies, and to get their business cards. Then you will have someone whom you can send email to or connect with on LinkedIn.

To get the most out of a career fair you need to do a little preparation. First, take a look at what companies will be at the fair. The fair usually has a list online. Then target the ones you are interested in. Make up a list of companies that you definitely want to check out and do some background research on them so you have questions ready to ask.

You also should be prepared in case the recruiter asks you some questions, such as “Why do you want to work at our company?”

Since networking also is an important part of a job fair, you want to be prepared here as well so that you make a good impression. Make sure you bring enough resumes to spread around, and make sure they are easy to scan. Also, it’s not a bad idea to get some business cards printed up to that you can hand them out.

When you approach one of the booths, be cheerful and have a few questions ready to get the conversation started. Also, taking notes will help. It will help you remember to whom you talked and what you talked about, and it will show the recruiter your interest.

Many staffing services such as Winston Resources often participate in career/job fairs. Be sure to drop off a resume at one of these tables and aim to speak to a recruiter. We can often find candidates with some of New York City’s best employers quickly. We look forward to hearing from you!