Attending Careers Fair 職業博覽: How do you prepare for one?

The Careers Fair (Education and Careers Expo - 教育及職業博覽 ) in Hong Kong is held annually, usually in the early part of the year. The last fair was held on February 1-4, 2007 (where there were more than 191,000 visitors and 490 exhibitors), and the coming one will be from February 21-24, 2008, scheduled to take place at the HK Convention and Exhibition Centre. ( http://hkeducationexpo.tdctrade.com/ ). So how does one prepare to take advantage of the career fair when pursuing a career? Here are two good videos to watch - although the setting is in another country.

** Remember to bring your CV or Resume along too! So get them updated or prepared well ahead of time.

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Do I need to have the 'Objective' or 'Headline' section for my Résumé / CV?

The mechanics of reading an English document flows from left to right and then in the downward direction. And since a recruiter would probably spend only around 10 seconds to skim through your Résumé / CV, the top section of the document is the most precious 'real estate'. Logically you would want the essence of your resume to be there to inform the recruiter how well you and your skills (like a product's feature) would be able to fulfil the requirements of the company (like a product's benefits) and answer to its needs. Remember that if a company advertises for a position, it is looking for someone who can specifically help it solve a certain problem / or a range of problems and a candidate needs to be clear if he/she is qualified and possesses the ability to provide the solution.

For every one position, there may be many potential candidates who can do the job but how is the recruiter to know exactly "who" to call for an interview? A nicely written brand statement / objective helps the recruiter get a clearer impression of you and your ability and sustains interest in reading your whole Résumé. Many candidates have impressive achievements and career records but those strengths were not always highlighted to their advantage. So if I were to answer to a specific job advertisement, then a brand statement or headline would be appropriate - but if I were to "cold-call" by writing speculatively to enquire for a job opening, I would state my objective in the Résumé.

Cover Letters ARE Important 履歷書的求職信是重要的

Many job-seekers put in a lot of effort in creating their resumes and CVs but were surprised when told that their cover letters were equally important! Powerful cover letters that accompany winning resumes greatly improve the chance of generating interviews. A poorly written cover letter will not impress the recruiter or give the hirer any interest in viewing the candidate's resume or CV at all.

Ideally, the cover letter and the resume/CV should 'form a package' and have a consistent looking letterhead, preferably using the same font set and if printed, to be done on the same type of paper. A cover letter is the very first document to be read by the recruiter and this brief marketing tool must effectively demonstrate how the candidate is a good match for the company's specific needs. If the recruiter is not convinced that you CAN provide the solution to the company's needs and challenges after reading your cover letter - you stand no chance in getting your CV/resume read or be invited for an interview. Besides getting the format, form and content right, creating a powerful cover letter requires one to fully understand what the company is asking - especially if answering to a job advertisement.

Do not be surprised when recruiters look at the cover letters to assess it for creativity, detail-mindedness, negotiation skills, written communication ability, language strength and attitude!