What size, style, type, of interview request cards do you use for job fairs?
Also the same question, but for thank you notes?
Do you write just a simple "I'd like to request an interview." and "Thank you for the interview" inside the cards?
How many resumes/note cards do you typically prepare?
Job Fair Paperwork
Reply
Interview request cards arent really used. Your interview request is a your resume and a cover letter. At the fair there are 3 ways you get an interview.
1) You communicate with a school before or during the fair and they either send you an email (or a phone call) or put a note in your candidate box asking you if you want to interview. Each school and each candidate have a folder or "mailbox" you can insert a copy of your resume and cover letter into the schools folder and see if they contact you. Its common to slide a resume under their room door as well.
2) At the beginning of the fair there is a block of time (a couple hours) called "sign up" where the schools are all at tables inside a large conference room or ball room. You wait in line with the schools your interested in and when your turn comes up, you have about 30 seconds to convince the recruiter to give you an interview. The average is about 4 interviews per candidate per fair.
3) Your in the elevator (or bar, hallway, bathroom, cocktail social, school presentation, etc) and you say something, they say something and they ask you to talk to them, or invite you to interview. Some people have gotten offers "in" the elevator.
I was in the elevator the candidate got on it was only an hour after signup, hed had his first interview by the looks of it. The recruiter was from the middle east, "I" (yes me personally) said "Looks like that went well"", the candidate said "I dont know, I thought it would be easier teaching math" their was a recruiter standing across from him who arched his eyebrow, and said "oh yeah what grade do you teach", candidate said "Calculus" and the recruiter says "would sixty thousand be enough", the candidate gets this glassy eyed look, and then the elevator car is dead silent for a full second in between stops and the guy says "yeah", the recruiter says "my floors coming up, we can sign the contract now and you can relax the rest of the weekend" they shake hands, and get off.
Most people use the generic pre-printed, post card sized, thank you notes you see at Walmart that come in packages of 10 for a $1/$2. Some people buy blank card stock and print custom thank you notes at home or at Kinkos. Some people use blank or generic wedding thank you note card stock. Ive gotten really long thank you notes, but most of them are brief and only a few lines "Thank you for the opportunity to meet with you today. I look forward to working with you in the future" type of lines.
Its not really the message that has any meaning but the gesture.
1) You communicate with a school before or during the fair and they either send you an email (or a phone call) or put a note in your candidate box asking you if you want to interview. Each school and each candidate have a folder or "mailbox" you can insert a copy of your resume and cover letter into the schools folder and see if they contact you. Its common to slide a resume under their room door as well.
2) At the beginning of the fair there is a block of time (a couple hours) called "sign up" where the schools are all at tables inside a large conference room or ball room. You wait in line with the schools your interested in and when your turn comes up, you have about 30 seconds to convince the recruiter to give you an interview. The average is about 4 interviews per candidate per fair.
3) Your in the elevator (or bar, hallway, bathroom, cocktail social, school presentation, etc) and you say something, they say something and they ask you to talk to them, or invite you to interview. Some people have gotten offers "in" the elevator.
I was in the elevator the candidate got on it was only an hour after signup, hed had his first interview by the looks of it. The recruiter was from the middle east, "I" (yes me personally) said "Looks like that went well"", the candidate said "I dont know, I thought it would be easier teaching math" their was a recruiter standing across from him who arched his eyebrow, and said "oh yeah what grade do you teach", candidate said "Calculus" and the recruiter says "would sixty thousand be enough", the candidate gets this glassy eyed look, and then the elevator car is dead silent for a full second in between stops and the guy says "yeah", the recruiter says "my floors coming up, we can sign the contract now and you can relax the rest of the weekend" they shake hands, and get off.
Most people use the generic pre-printed, post card sized, thank you notes you see at Walmart that come in packages of 10 for a $1/$2. Some people buy blank card stock and print custom thank you notes at home or at Kinkos. Some people use blank or generic wedding thank you note card stock. Ive gotten really long thank you notes, but most of them are brief and only a few lines "Thank you for the opportunity to meet with you today. I look forward to working with you in the future" type of lines.
Its not really the message that has any meaning but the gesture.
Me
Me I bring 40, but most people bring 20-25' depends how many schools your applying too and have your vacancy. Tier are computers and printers in the candidate lounge,if you need to run off some more, to put in school folders, etc. Save the nice ones for the interview sign up.