Cultivating Networks —> Show Your Expertise

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Optimizing your Career Fair Experience #5

Show Your Expertise!

This is the time to WOW them! You prepared by gaining a grasp of who will be at the career fair and having a professionally prepared resume. You crafted your 5-second elevator speech. You determined your apparel so you will stand out from the crowd. You know this is where you should be, it is the right place at the right time.

Now before you go, you need to know what you will do if one of the stops at an employer’s booth ends up to be a mini-interview. Think through questions specific for your field as well as more generalized questions. Prepare your answers. Rehearse your answers first in front of a mirror and then with a trusted friend or family member.

Can you effectively answer this question: In what ways have you helped your company reduce costs, streamline operations, or increase productivity?

Or: Have you been chosen over your coworkers to handle any difficult challenges? If so, what were you selected for? What were the challenges and how did you make it happen? What were the results?

In any career, what were the three largest obstacles you overcame in your career?

Have a good grasp of the keywords that are important to the companies and industries you are targeting and integrate them into your vocabulary so you can answer interview questions with words that demonstrate your expertise. Here’s a sample section I created for a Sales Manager recently:

Areas of Expertise

Community Relations | Business Start-up | New Business Development | Public Relations

Sales & Marketing Campaigns | Retail Management | Public Speaking | Business Start-up

Multisite Management | Networking | Relationship Building | Account Retention

Account Servicing | Client Relations | Creative Sales Techniques | Customer Service

Cold Calling | Sales Strategies | Planogram Implementation | Product Implementation

With a little preparation, you will be prepared to show your expertise! If you are in the Central Wisconsin area, I will be at the Rasmussen College Career & Networking Fair on Thursday, February 18.  We have scheduled 6 resume reviews per hour from 10am to 2pm. Early sign-up is encouraged.  See the events tab at the Design Resumes Facebook page.