If you or someone you know who have been looking for a job tell me...

[butterfly77]

if you have been to any job fairs and what have you found...

[SharonRB]

1. My husband has tried to go to a few

and the line has been so long he's given up and not bothered to stay.

[TahitiNut]

2. As a guy with extensive (!!) experience trying to find work ...

... I'll say that Job Fairs seem designed to treat job applicants like cattle - targeting the people with 1-5 years of experience (unless it's a college fair) and others in the Plug'n'Play jobs. I've sat back and observed the attitudes of recruiters as they were approached and it's starkly clear that older job-seekers are just not welcome. Roll up in a wheelchair or show any health profiles (e.g. overweight) that aren't consistent with some TV commercial and you can forget it. I suspect that employers use Job Fairs to build a statistical base for their own purposes, perhaps to get salary requirements or see what competitors' employees are looking to bail.

[ray of light]

3. exactly! Plus, I' ve been told by a HR person that the applications

from job fairs end up in the round file. (You know which round file that means!)

[SharonRB]

5. Doesn't surprise me at all.

[SharonRB]

4. Sounds like a fair assessment to me

:hi:

[TahitiNut]

6. I should probably hasten to say that I still went to them - but with low expectations.

And when I'd get home, I'd shower. As a job seeker, I didn't want to miss any chance, no matter how remote. I've personally known nobody who ever got a job through a Job Fair. AFAIK, networking and personal referrals (i.e. "connections") sill accounts for over 80% of new hires.

[Bozita]

7. Job fairs are often used as a way of keeping the corporate image front and center.

They make their presence known, even when not hiring.

I have no ides if this is true, and I'm feeling guilty for posting it.

[Demeter]

8. I Know of a Man Who Went to A Job Fair--Diesel Mechanic

So he got recruited to Wyoming--packed up the family, went out there, and couldn't find any place to live. There weren't many affordable houses for sale or rent, and what was available was bought up by Halliburton for their people....family came home, he's still out there at last report, and grandma has 4 extra people and dogs in her house...it is not a happy situation.

These people were destitute due to foreclosure--save up for an RV or something before you venture into the Great Unknown!

[coco77]

9. I keep hearing that there are many jobs...

in the south and some that I know who are leaving who have family there are telling me how good it is.

[bif]

10. I went to one specifically for my field

Advertising. Waited in line for 2 hours. Finally, an HR person told me I had 5 minutes to sell myself and show my portfolio. Total wank job. Waste of an evening.