It’s that time again, and we have scheduled our Spring virtual job fair for March 15-19, online at www.nmvirtualjobfair.com. We held our first virtual high tech fair last fall and it was well received by job seekers and employers. The venue was created to help both busy employers and job seekers find each other without having to stand in line or in a booth.

We also wanted to provide that personal attention to the potential employee, and to do this we asked the hiring company to acknowledge and respond to the applicant right away, letting them know how their resume stacks up and where the company is in the hiring process.

This mode has been used in other areas and some of the media groups hold online job fairs to keep it simple but also maintain a personal connection. As there are more and more job fairs the job seeker has to make choices according to their time limits, and this virtual fair eases that pressure while giving information on what’s happening right now in the tech industry.

Job seekers might also make a better online presentation by using the social network pages to film a self interview, or contact companies that can help with that product. If that isn’t possible, addressing the reasons why you would be the perfect applicant as it relates to the open position helps give the recruiter a little better picture of your abilities. There is one caution we would offer to the applicant. Read the job descriptions carefully and make sure you fit with the type of candidate the company is looking for. It doesn’t’ help your cause to apply for jobs that you aren’t qualified for.

Get your job description/resume ready and sign on on March 15 – 19 to participate in this exciting event. See you (online) there.

Tags: applications, candidates, Facebook, For Employers, hiring process, hiring talent, job fair, job seeker, recruiters

For all you fans of green jobs and companies there will be a Green Careers Fair on March 10 at Santa Fe Community College. This is a first for the college, and brings together companies engaged in green businesses, organizations promoting a more sustainable lifestyle and job seekers wanting to be involved in this new industry.

The Fair will open with speaker Carol McClelland, Founder and Executive Director of Green Career Central, and author of Green Careers for Dummies. Carol has helped thousands of people discover their dream career through her book Your Dream Career for Dummies and her work with individuals, groups, and students. Together with her team of experts, researchers and writers, Carol has pulled together eighteen years of experience into a broad collection of how-to articles, resources, support, and teleclasses to help you find your way to make a difference and prosper. Carol’s latest book, Green Careers for Dummies, will be available in bookstores in late January, 2010.

Attendance at the fair is free. Registration is available at www.sfccnm.edu/career_services/upcoming_events. This event will be sponsored by the Santa Fe Community College and the NM WIRED program.

Tags: applications, hiring talent, job fair, job seeker, recruiting

In the current employment market there is a strange phenomenon occurring. Job fairs abound in the larger cities—at times there is one or more scheduled per day. Universities and community colleges as well as local companies or commercial recruiting groups all have their day. Job seekers also abound. At many of these fairs there have been many more job seekers than jobs.

As a result the job/career fairs become disheartening for the applicants and grueling for the recruiters present. There has to be a better way!

The New Mexico High Tech/Green Tech Virtual Job Fair provides a more pleasant atmosphere for both parties involved. This fair is a boutique event catering to high tech companies with jobs in New Mexico. Our first event was held October 12-16, 2009 and was well received.

The fair is promoted as any other event, and the jobs listed are current and available. The recruiters respond and give timely feedback to applicants, but from their office computer. They get the extra visibility a job fair provides but can manage the process much more efficiently. Especially for some of the smaller companies where staff wears many hats, it has been a positive experience.

For job seekers as well, the event is more pleasant. Rather than standing in line with hundreds of other job seekers, one can apply from home and still get a response as to whether the employer is interested in their resume.  At that point further follow up can be arranged if the employer so chooses.

Best of all—parking is never a problem!

Tags: candidates, For Employers, job, job fair, job seeker, recruiters, recruiting