Here’s how to increase your hiring chances & maximise your time at a job fair

Job searching can be a gruelling process with multiple interviews, emails and plenty of uncertainty.

To make this process a little easier, the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) will be holding a physical job fair on Nov. 16, 2022 and a virtual job fair from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022.

Titled Career Discovery in Lifestyle Services, there will be a total of 30 companies onsite at e2i’s physical job fair.

Jobseekers can expect an estimated 2,200 job vacancies in the F&B, retail and hospitality industries.

If you’re interested in attending, here are some tips to help maximise your time and capture the attention of prospective employers at the Career Discovery in Lifestyle Services job fair.

These tips will cover:

• Resume writing
• Interview roleplay
• Career coaches
• Jobseeker workshops

Before the job fair

The saying “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail” certainly applies when attending job fairs.

For starters, jobseekers can browse the job listing booklet and pre-register here in advance to skip the queue.

Jobseekers should plan ahead and have a rough idea of the type of jobs and industries they are interested in.

It is also important to take a look at the companies that will be present at the job fair and do your research on the ones you are interested in.

Have a list of questions prepared at the job fair to show that you are interested in the company, as well as for company reps to clear any doubts.

Here are some tips to capture their interest.

Resume writing

Jobseekers should customise their resume for the job they are applying for by incorporating keywords from the job description and highlighting their relevant skills and experiences.

It might also be helpful to include achievements that are related to the role to grab the attention of recruiters and help you stand out.

You can also consider attending e2i’s free four-hour interactive workshop called “Win the Search!” to learn how to craft the perfect resume and increase your chances of getting selected for interviews.

During the workshop, jobseekers will also learn how to gain more visibility, explore new methods of job search and cover all aspects of their job hunt.

Participants will also benefit from a one-to-one resume consultation with the trainer.

Learn more about the workshop here.

Interview role play

Preparing for interviews at the job fair is also crucial to help you to secure the job and this can be done through an interview role play.

At the job fair, jobseekers can choose which employer they would like to speak to and interview with.

Practise explaining how your skills and past experience can help you carry out the job as if you are in an actual interview.

Be sure to examine the job description in close detail and ensure that the explanation matches the prospective company’s needs.

In addition, practise answering popular interview questions like “Why are you looking for a new job?” and “Why do you think you are a good fit for this role?”

The more you practise, the more confident you will be, which in turn convinces employers that you are the right person for the job.

e2i also offers a complimentary workshop called “Win the Interview!” where jobseekers will be privy to the latest interview techniques and prepare themselves to answer challenging questions.

This workshop will also help you:

• Make pre-interview preparations
• Manage competency-based interviews using STAR, a structured manner of responding to a behavioural-based interview question
• Craft an elevator pitch
• Learn the do’s and don’ts at interviews
• Participate in mock interview sessions

This workshop is only offered to Singaporean and Singaporean PR jobseekers. Learn more about the workshop here.

During the job fair

Besides company booths, e2i’s physical job fair offers jobseekers additional opportunities such as career advisory and workshops.

Schedule your time wisely to ensure that you can visit the employers you are interested to engage with, whether you are attending the physical job fair or virtual job fair, or both.

For instance, if you are attending the physical job fair, you can get free career advice from e2i’s career coaches and get some hands-on experience with the companies present through Jobseeker Workshops.

Career coaches

e2i’s career coaches will guide, advise and support you on your career journey and offer a solution-based approach to your career goals such as finding a job, switching an industry, or upskilling.

Jobseekers can also benefit from meeting a career coach in these ways:

• Discover your career interests and goals
• Assess your current employability gaps
• Expand your job search resources and knowledge of the labour market
• Be directed to relevant workshops to upskill and boost your employability
• Connect with e2i’s employers’ network for job opportunities
• Receive support and build confidence to grow in your career journey

Learn more about e2i’s career coaches here or scan the QR code below.

Jobseeker workshop

Additionally, there will be a free jobseeker workshop happening where companies will give a demonstration and/or get participants to take part in hands-on activity.

This will allow jobseekers to have a better understanding of the job scope and day to day job responsibilities.

The workshop will take place at selected employers’ outlets near the Lifelong Learning Institute in Paya Lebar, where the physical job fair will be held.

Each workshop will be conducted independently by the respective employers and the workshops are separated from the physical job fair.

There will also be an informal interview session between company and jobseekers during the workshop.

Jobseekers may speak to employers to try and score an invite for a follow up interview thereafter.

While these workshops may provide you with a preview of what the job role is about, jobseekers are still highly encouraged to register for the physical job fair as there will be other participating employers with immediate vacancies available.

Find out more about the job seeker workshop here.

After the job fair

Once you’ve met your prospective employers and completed each interview, consider sending them a follow up email to thank them for their time.

Doing so will leave a good impression on them and keep yourself at the top of their mind.

You can also keep up to date with e2i’s physical and virtual events here and join e2i’s Telegram chat group to receive live job openings.

Here are more details regarding the Career Discovery in Lifestyle Services job fair and the Virtual Jobs Discovery In The East which might just help you secure your next job:

e2i’s physical job fair: Career Discovery in Lifestyle Services

e2i and Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI) will be organising Career Discovery in Lifestyle Services, supported by the Food, Drinks & Allied Workers Union (FDAWU).

This physical job fair will be held on Nov. 16 and will feature F&B, retail and hospitality jobs.

It will be located at the Lifelong Learning Learning Institute (LLI) at Paya Lebar from 10am to 5pm.

Those interested can register via this link.

Otherwise, you can opt to walk in and register onsite.

e2i’s virtual job fair: Virtual Jobs Discovery In The East

As an extension of the physical event, the Virtual Jobs Discovery In The East job fair will run over a period of around three months from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022, including weekends.

There are 2,200 immediate vacancies for jobseekers to explore.

Jobseekers can choose to chat with company representatives offline and online, attend virtual interviews and track their interview status.

You can find out more about e2i’s job fair here.

This sponsored article is brought to you by e2i.

Top images via e2i.