Reboot’22 was a huge success! More than 12000 candidates attended the two-day job fair. While some of them managed to bag offer letters before they left the venue, many others got shortlisted for further rounds of interviews. For the companies who participated in the event, it was a great opportunity to showcase their work culture and boost their brand image. Cheers to the organizers for conducting such a huge event without a hitch!
It was iocod’s first time at Reboot. The event saw great teamwork on the part of the employees. It turned out to be a platform for us to connect with lots of talented programmers and meet a vibrant younger generation who are just out of college or in the final year. We collected 400+ resumes over the two days. More than 100 written tests and 50+ personal interviews were also conducted. We tested the programming skills of all the candidates who applied for programming-related jobs. 8 candidates were shortlisted and 4 job offers were rolled out before the two-day fair came to an end.
After witnessing the whole event for two days and interviewing more than 30 candidates personally, I felt that there was a lack of preparedness, especially among the freshers. Most of the fresh graduates who appeared at the venue were undecided about the role or the area that they wanted to take up. A few people told us that they want to do a job related to software. Responses like these would create a negative impression on the interviewers and such people would definitely not pass the screening level. To my utter disbelief, when asked about the area of interest, one person even said “I’ll do anything”. Sounding weak and desperate is also not going to take you any further than the registration counter!
Compared to other job-seeking environments, job fairs present a low-pressure setting. Candidates can meet up with hiring officials from multiple companies and also with fellow job seekers from the same industry. Unlike in a regular scenario where you would have to send mail or make cold calls for a chance to meet the employers, here you get a chance to meet employers who are eager to hire. So, plan and prepare well to make sure that you get the maximum benefit from the job fair.
Here are a few things to be kept in mind when you go to any job fair:
Carry a well-crafted resume
- A well-crafted resume with a job title is a must. If you are interested in more than one position, craft separate resumes showing your skills and experience for each position.
- Carry as many hard copies of your resume as per the number of positions you are planning to apply for.
Highlight your skills- technical skills/ soft skills
- Highlight the technical skills required for a particular position instead of listing out all the skills that you have.
- Typing skill is something that can be mastered with a little practice. Showcasing such skills would make you stand out from your competitors.
- The importance of soft skills has been pointed out time and again. A job fair is an occasion where you can use your interpersonal skills, communication skills, listening skills to overshadow all the others who have the same technical skills. Interpersonal and communication skills come out in your initial interaction with the employers. By paying close attention when they are speaking and asking relevant questions, you can demonstrate your listening skills as well.
Participate in popular forums and mention them in your resume
- Participating in forums like Reddit, Stackoverflow, Laracasts forum, etc. shows your enthusiasm in the programming field. If you haven’t joined any of these yet, join the community and be an active participant in the discussions.
- Upload some sample projects to GitHub and provide the link to it in your resume.
Prepare an introduction
- Prepare a 30-second elevator speech to display your skills to your employers. This could become a major differentiator between you and others and help you get shortlisted.
- You should also be able to give a short description, and if required, a detailed description itself, of the project/projects that you did as part of your undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Be ready for interviews
- Even though personal interviews may not happen on that day itself, you have to be well prepared to attend interviews.
- Do the required research about the companies that you would like to apply for and attend the interview with confidence.
Make notes
- Follow-up is really important after you attend a job fair. Be sure to make notes on the people you meet and talk to and create a schedule to contact each one of them.
Dress for the part
- As for any job interview, it is important that you dress up appropriately when you attend a job fair. The way you dress and carry yourself creates a positive first impression. It also boosts your self-confidence.
A job fair is a great opportunity for fresh graduates looking for exciting opportunities as well as for professionals looking for career growth. In an event attended by hundreds of talented and experienced candidates, it’s important to create a good impression on your employers in the very little time that you will get. By paying attention to all the points mentioned above, you can raise your chances of getting hired.
We will be waiting for you at Reboot’23 with more opportunities!