I observed a job fair from the opposite side of the table this week.  In the past, I was the eager, student trying to take advantage of meeting with recruiters. Instead, I was the recruiter, and people were trying to meet with me. I have to admit, I was a little shocked at the behavior of the some of the recent or soon to be graduates. As the day went on I started to create a check list of the essential things one must possess before attending a job fair. I will first start with some of the initial observations of the applicant pool.

1. Based on what I observed there are a lot of job seekers who have yet to hear the saying: “dress to impress”.
2. Job searching in packs doesn’t make you look cooler.
3. Walking by 5 times before deciding to approach doesn’t exactly exude a ‘take charge’ kind of attitude.
4. Gum chewing, really?
5. Lift your head and look before approaching. Walking up to an insurance agency inquiring about healthcare positions might be a slight indication you have no idea who you’re talking to.
6. One applicant thanked us for talking. Are other companies not talking?
7. Scatterbrains need not apply.  I think my favorite applicant of the day was a gentleman who was very qualified but could not stop wandering his eyes around the room during our conversation. He told me he was scatterbrained, and there was too much going on around him. He came across as very disinterested, and his resume did not make it in the keep pile.

I know it can be nerve racking, but applicants must perceive the job fair as speed dating for jobs. It is essentially multiple mini interviews, the same rules that apply to the interview apply at the job fair. These are my quick tips to help you ace the job fair.

1. Research, Research, Research!

Every registered student receives a list of companies who will be attending the fair. The most important thing you can do, is pick out the companies you would like to talk to and research them! Have questions prepared for the recruiters, make a plan. Know exactly where each booth is located, map it out, and NEVER ask: What do you guys do? We all have smart phones, Google it!

2. Be prepared with a lot of resumes. Do a quick Google search of creative resume designs and find something that makes your paper stand out from the other piles. It might also be important to have a couple different job specific versions of your resume.

3. First impressions are key. We will be chatting with many students today. What makes you stand out? Please dress business professional, offer a strong handshake, direct eye contact is crucial, comb your hair, spit out the gum, and take out facial piercings. (Yes, I do happen to have a facial piercing, but I did not wear it to my interview).

4. Think about some common interview questions and come up with answers. Tell me about yourself? What type of position are you looking for? What is your past job experience? Is there anything else you would like for us to know? One student told me, “way to put me on the spot”. If you take advantage of being put on the spot, and come across as prepared and creative you will stick out in our mind when we are going through the stacks of resumes at the end of the day. Make yourself stand out!

5. As the mini interview comes to an end, conclude with offering a resume, asking for a business card, and inquiring about how you should follow up. Last but not least thank everyone who you spoke with, and offer one last hand shake.

I know these tips must seem like common sense but you would not believe the amount of students who were ill prepared. I promise if you practice just a few of these job fair prep ideas you will make a lasting impression on the companies present.

Have you missed one of the past Tips of the Week?  Here are some of my favorites that our users have found to be helpful.

Counters are Cool

Who Changed That?

Match ‘em Up Automatch

Paycheck Voids/Reversals

Save Time – Shortcuts

Generating Resumes

Do You Document?

Forgotten Timecards

I’ve Got Skills

Sometimes Basic is Best

Search Options

Too Many Tabs

Favorites v2010

Keeping Track of Candidates

Start Sheets

Do You Inspect?

Ending Assignments

Tracking Sources

Quarter End Reports

Look What I Can See

My Favorite Child

Assignment Changes

Data Requirement Message

Mass Resume Parser

QuickPlace

Mass Mail

More Than a Message

Mass Mail

New Back Office Features

Search Options in Advanced Search

New Back Office Features

Adding Transactions to Orders

Agency

New Resume Parser Feature

Web Time Entry

Employer Health Reporting

Do you have an idea for the Tip of the Week?  Send me an email.

We kicked off the launch of The Avionté Hope Foundation with Operation See- A-Need as a surprise for Avionté employees at our Year End Party. Each employee was given a 50 dollar bill in an envelope with this message:  Operation See-A-Need

Avionté Hope Foundation:  Please use this $50 to make a difference in someone else’s life.   The only rule is that you can’t keep the money or give it to an immediate family member.  What we ask is that you have a story to tell and can communicate how this money impacted somebody’s life in a positive way.    You have one week to use the money and submit your story. Go make a difference!

Below are some of the inspiring stories employees shared with us.

• Tracy brought Beth to our attention who lost everything in a flood last summer. She was bouncing from trailer to trailer with almost nothing, dealing with insurance, she ended up losing her job. About 10 other employees pooled their money together to donate to Beth.
• Bart donated his $50 to Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women.  This organization is very personal to Bart and his story.  10 years ago Bart’s sister ( a NICU nurse at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul for over 25 years) was preparing to file for divorce from her husband who had been in and out of drug rehab.  She had a restraining order filed against him, but on February 17^th 2003, her husband broke into the garage @ 1:00 am and murdered her and then turned the gun on himself, leaving behind 4 young children.    Bart and his wife adopted and raised the 4 children.
• Sachin, Tinu, Shekhar, Pradip and Suresh pooled their money and donated $250 to an organization for the blind in Nepal that Sachin’s uncle runs.  This is a large amount of money for them and will go a long ways.  His parents will be buying them blankets, clothes and other items they are in need of.

• Tony and Adam donated to Second Harvest Heartland, a program that provides food for families in Minnesota and Wisconsin. A $50 dollar donation provides up to 180 meals for needy families!
• Briana chipped in an extra $10 to evenly split her donation among 3 hardworking guys she met while getting her oil changed.
• Kevin donated his $50 to his server, Nadia, at Cracker Barrel. Nadia is saving to buy a new car, and with her tax return she hopes she can meet her goal.

• Malik stopped to help a man change his flat tire in the snow.  He noticed his car was on empty, so he asked him to follow him to the nearby gas station.  He filled up his tank, got him a car wash and bought hot chocolate for his wife and kids.  The man was absolutely flabbergasted as to why this was happening, Malik just said, “Today you, tomorrow me.”
• Angela used her $50 to help a family pay for daycare for a child whose  hard working parents  just found out the dad has a brain tumor and are having a very difficult time.
• Josh bought diapers, pacifiers, and warm baby clothes for a young unemployed mother trying to find a job and go to school.  In July 2011 Karisha Clifton was homeless and pregnant and had just lost her job working concessions at Target Field. Not content to only look for a job, she also joined a program to help young people pursuing productive academic and work lives.  She attended a Customer Service class through Saint Paul College and also found stable housing. Karisha had a baby girl one month ago and is still looking for employment. She is in most need of simple material goods that you or I would take for granted.
• John and Brenda went to a grocery store with the intent of donating $50 to an employee, and $50 to help someone in need buy groceries. Instead they were touched by the story of Maureen, an employee, who tries to work as much as she can, but gets limited hours, is all on her own, walks to work  and suffers from cerebral palsy.
• Katherine donated $50 to a high school student.  He was left by his parents, works every day to pay for his gas, and struggles to find money to pay for lunch. Operation See-A-Need bought his ticket to his senior brunch.
• Darien donated $50 to the parents of an enthusiastic 2 year old girl suffering from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.  Due to so many hospital stays and visits, her parents are struggling to pay her hospital bills to ensure she fully recovers. This $50 will at least remind Violet and her parents that there are people out there who do care and are willing to help out in any way, shape, or form.
• Jessica and Corey pooled their money to buy Target gift cards for the homeless downtown.
• Jason G. helped to feed the poor by purchasing five pre-bagged food shelf donations at Cub foods.
• Alaric donated his $50 to Melissa, a single mother whose husband recently left her, leaving her with two very young children.  She recently had to give up her home because she couldn’t make ends meet.  She was ecstatic that someone, and a company would be able to help her out in a difficult time.
• Jason gave $10 to his daughter to choose how to donate. Madeline chose to buy new books for her preschool class. The other portion went to Breaking Free. Breaking Free is a non- profit organization helping women and girls escape abuse, exploitation, and prostitution/sex trafficking.
• Heidi donated $50 to a family who uses the same daycare provider she does and has many struggles due to losing a job and then a back injury that restricted the dad’s ability to work.  The Dad explained that he never thought he would need something like this and was happy to accept it.  They had typically always been the family that gives to others.
• And so many more. great stories..

The reaction we received from the Avionté team was amazing. This experience really opens your eyes to how many people are struggling, and how 50 dollars can make a difference in someone else’s life. We hope that by doing our part of paying it forward, others will be equally inspired.

If you’d like to contact the Avionte Hope Foundation, email us at  AHF@avionte.com

“2012 is looking to be another great year for Avionté and I’m very thankful for all of our successes. So now feels like the right time to start sharing our success with others and helping to make a positive impact in the lives of those less fortunate than us. Starting a chartable side of Avionté has always been a vision of mine and I couldn’t be more excited to finally see this start to take form.   January 2012 was the official launch of The Avionté Hope Foundation (AHF) and I’m thrilled to see all that is already happening!” John Long, CEO of Avionté

The mission of the Avionté Hope Foundation is: To positively impact the lives of individuals by helping them achieve long term life improvement, through financial and personal support.  Providing a conduit for employees of Avionté to become involved in charitable activities and start making a difference.

We created AHF to support people in need, and to provide volunteer opportunities for Avionté employees. The financial side has an allocated budget each month to help local non-profit organizations in Minnesota and Nepal (Our Corporate office is located in MN and we also have an office in Kathmandu). Each month the funds are split into three buckets.  A portion goes to a local Minnesota organization to help provide support for an individual or group who is working toward a better future.  Another portion goes to support so many of the less fortunate in Nepal.  The final bucket is set aside for special opportunities and needs as they arise.

For the month of January and to celebrate the launch of AHF, we kicked off our Year End Party with Operation See-A-Need. This surprise mission presented each Avionté employee a $50 bill to go out and make a difference. Check out some of the inspiring stories from Avionté.

Money was also sent to our Nepal office in January to help an orphanage purchase educational supplies for children whose parents are imprisoned.

The month of February we are working with Lincoln Place in Eagan, Minnesota. Lincoln Place is an apartment complex providing supportive housing for young adults ages 18-24. The residents come from a variety of backgrounds but many are transitioning out of the foster care system, are homeless, or are at risk of becoming homeless. In addition to a financial donation, we are encouraging Avionté staff to volunteer at Lincoln Place, by teaching a class, helping refurbish computers and so on. We also created a site at our corporate headquarters highlighting household items that Lincoln Place residents need. Many times residents move into minimally furnished apartments and they are missing many of the very basic items we take for granted.

For February, the remaining funds will be used to help a local teenage boy whose parents moved out of state and left him to fend for himself. We are buying him gas cards, a high school parking permit, and putting money into a school lunch account.

Employees are also given three paid days off a year to volunteer at the charity of their choice. Many of the organizations we support financially are also in need of volunteers,  so we are working on a schedule for Avionté employees. We believe in giving back and are happy to see members of the Avionté team taking time to help others.

We look forward to working with organizations that are helping to make a difference in lives of the people around us and providing them hope for a better future. If you know of an organization, volunteer opportunities or individual circumstances, let us know!

Email us AHF@avionte.com

Between meetings, I stopped into a coffee shop that offers free Wi-Fi to check my email.   I scouted out a corner, among other email checkers, that appeared to be quiet.  Just as I got rolling on answering emails, two people sat down and start to have a conversation.  It’s rather loud and the gentleman has a bit of an accent and comes across quite over bearing.  The woman appears to be timid and a bit nervous.  A couple of scenarios quickly come to mind.  Before I could fully formulate my hypothesis he starts to tell her about his last interview.  First idea; they are colleagues comparing notes about an open job at their company.  Wrong.  After his several minute decimation of the last person he interviewed, he starts asking her interview questions.

Now I am hooked.  I have completely forgotten about my emails or anything else on my laptop.  Instead, I start making notes about interviewer etiquette.  A great deal is written from the candidate perspective, but rarely do we take the time to think about what is happening on the other side of the desk.

Back to our story.  For ease, we will call our interviewer Jeff.  Jeff asks a question but Jeff doesn’t really want a response.  He tells his candidate (let’s call her Jill) what he wants to hear.  Jeff is totally dominating the whole conversation.  It’s all about Jeff. Jeff’s experience, what Jeff thinks is right, how Jeff would handle a situation etc.

Meanwhile, Jill is trying to put her best foot forward, but can’t get a word in edgewise.  To add to the situation, Jeff displays some very distracting body language.  His posture is all over the place. He is slumping, and leaning back, and leaning in very close to Jill. He can’t seem to find a comfortable position.

Jeff not only appears to be an expert on software, but an expert in career building.  He advises Jill what kind of career path she should take and if this job would be a good fit for her or not.  He hasn’t even let her answer a full question, but is making assumptions.

Granted, I’m making a lot of assumptions as well.  I only witnessed this particular conversation; there could have been several leading up to this.  However, the 15 minutes I observed reminded me, those of us who interview on a regular basis should take an analysis of our style and possibly improve our own technique.

A few reminders for the interviewer.

• Watch out for weird hand gestures or body language.  We coach candidates to have someone watch them or look in the mirror when practicing, we should do the same.
• Be aware of asking questions that are way too open ended.  “Tell me about yourself” is a common intro to an interview, and although open ended questions are a great way to gather information, be sure to help guide your candidate towards the area you are interested in.  Some answers can be very entertaining.  but it’s probably not the best use of time on either side.
• Lastly, be wise when choosing the interview location.  I understand that interviews can’t always happen in the office.  If the interview needs to be off site choose someplace that offers a little bit of privacy.  Remember. you already have a job; your candidate is trying hard to do their best, give them an environment that will set them up for success.

If you are in the staffing realm you should be a pretty good interviewer, however there is always room for improvement!

I experienced the best introduction to Avionté Staffing Software. I have been with Avionté for about a month, and much discussion concerned the Year End Party. “Katherine make sure you are free January 21, you do not want to miss this!”  The stories I heard about the past year’s party only added to my anticipation and excitement; hypnotists, dancing, coveted prizes, tigers (only kidding) and lots of dancing.

I am the sales and marketing assistant and part of my responsibilities include event planning and party prep. So the couple of weeks before the big event were spent covering every aspect of the Year End party in great detail. We needed prizes, games, munchies, transportation, name tags, booze (and lots of it), music (the Avionte band debut), and surprises! After all that planning and buying we pulled it off.

We held our gathering at the Dakota Lodge in West St Paul. The Dakota Lodge was a quintessential place to host a party. The night started off with a cocktail hour and many introductions. Just to put it in perspective, Avionte hired about 25 employees in the past year. Our Year End party guest list was double that of the previous year. After some initial mingling, everyone took their seats for dinner and a short presentation by our CEO, John Long. One of the best surprises of the night was the revealing of Operation See-A-Need, which was the launch of our Charitable Arm, The Avionté Hope Foundation. That topic deserves a blog all to itself!

We catered in dinner, enjoyed cocktails, played some highly competitive yet socially awkward team games, raffled prizes, listened to the Avionté band (New Order Wizard and the Worker Comp Claims), danced and sang.  While all of that made for a great party, it was really the amazing group of people that came together to celebrate what they had accomplished as a team over the past year that really made the night special.  There was camaraderie within this company that I had never experienced before in my previous positions and it was truly amazing to be a part of it.   Here’s to an amazing 2011 and looking forward to all that 2012 has to bring!