Once you have attended a job fair or other major networking event, the employers will be calling, emailing and knocking on your door non-stop to offer you amazing new jobs, right? Well, occasionally a VERY lucky person may leave one of these events with a job offer in place, but this is about as likely to happen as hitting the lottery, meaning not very often. Much more often, job seekers leave these events with more questions than answers. However, if you played your cards right, you probably picked up some business cards, made some connections and have opened doors—you just need to walk through them. Here are a few tips on how to best proceed after attending a major networking event.
- Clean Up Your Online Profiles – Fix that resume, clean your social profiles and make sure your public profile portrays you as the good candidate you think you are.
- Send Messages – If you spoke to anyone directly, make sure you sit down and send a “real” message. Thank the potential employer for his or her time and share your enthusiasm for the company. Provide contact information and attach a resume if applicable.
- Connect on Social Media – For organizations or people that you did not have a chance to connect with personally, why not try to connect on social media? The fact that you were both at the same event is a great “opening” and a chance to start a conversation.
- Follow Up with the Event – Does the event have a LinkedIn or Facebook Event page? This is another great place to pick up connections. Spend some time on this page and meet up with some of the people you may have missed at the actual event. If there is a hashtag for Instagram or Twitter, don’t be afraid to share photos of the event too.
- Apply – If there were any stand out potentials at the event, send in your resume or apply for open positions online. Make sure you include information about the event—the organization will want to know that you connected at the job fair or networking seminar.
As you can see, once the networking activity is complete, your job is just beginning. These events can be an excellent chance to meet potential employers—don’t let the opportunity get away from you!
