job fairs

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job fairs
By Chris

I too, went to a job fair a few weeks ago. They don't call them "meat markets" for nothing! My suggestions (to add on to Rachel's):

*Get there early, as soon as they open or even a bit before. You may need all the time
they are open to hit all the schools you wnat to talk to. (I talked to only 6 people in 3 hours!)
*Dress appropriately (in other words, nice) This is a preliminary interview. Wear comfortable shoes because you'll stand in lines a long time. If you can do without a coat, do it. It'll only be hanging from your arm allday if coatracks aren't provided.
*I handed out packets that included

my resume, transcripts (I'm a recent grad w/o experience in my own room) and at least 3 letters of recommendation. Some people also include cover letters and copies of the certificate. My resume indicated my employment objective & my certificate type so I did not add additional paperwork by including these.

*Call a district that will be at the fair & ask them what they want. At mine, they all required electronic applications via the internet (one application was then available to all districts at the fair). But they were still collecting paper resumes, too! So ask! Check their web sites for info.

*Bring a map of the area with you, so you can locate the various cities/districts in relation to your home. Is it too far to travel to, even if offered a position? Then don't waste your time talking to them.

*At my fair you rec'd a packet upon registering that listed all the schools and their openings. I sat down with my map, located schools with openings in my interest area, then checked the map to see which ones were "local". I circled them on my packet, and cruised the meeting hall to locate each of them. I was able to go from one to the other easily with out wandering through crowds of people.

*This is not the time for large portfolios. They will become heavy and the people usually do not have time to really give them more than a cursory look. Instead, put together a mini portfolio, displaying your best. I included one lesson plan from tthe basic areas of math, reading, science, language arts. To be honest, it was the pictures attached to these that caught atention, so have pictures ratther than pages & pages of words. If you have a nice briefcase or carry bag, put it to good use this day.

*Check out teacher web sites that will give you interview question ideas. A classic I kept getting: If I walked into your classroom what would I see? HOw would your students describe you in three words? What's different about you that I'll be able to remember you above all the other people I talk to today...what will help me remember you? [My husband suggested learning across the table and laying a big wet kiss on her would make the meeting memorable. Memorable, yes..employed? that's questionable!]

Good Luck and happy job hunting. You may talk to a lot of people and be lucky if you get one follow up interview, but don't be discouraged!