Now, I'm going to walk you through the day because, as always, there are things to be learned here. Pay attention, there will be a short quiz afterward...
After getting the teens to their bus and grabbing mornnig chai, I got home to get ready. I had decided to have OfficeMax print up my contact cards (table tent cards with all vital info and contact data for me) on the way to the ferry. I got dressed and realized that I really need a new business wardrobe if I'm going to be a shirt and tie kind of person again (heaven forbid!). I finished up the cards and got out the door only about 15 minutes later than expected...not too shabby.
I get to Office Max and after about 15-20 minutes of haranguing, I find out that they cant print up my cards because the stock on them is too thinck for their machines and it will jam 90% of the time. I'm thinking "Holy crap, are you serious?" followed by "So I have wasted how much time here?"
I make a beeline for the boat and get there in plenty of time to wait all the while trying to breathe and get my frustration level down. More than being late, I hate when I make a plan and have to alter it due to my own bad planning or someone else's ineptitude. Today was more of the former. I get on the boat with my 50 resumes and proceed to calm down...ferry rides are very calming for me...not sure why, but who am I to argue. Pulling into Seattle, I looked at one of the last buildings I worked on when I did Sheet Metal and smiled, remembering how many times I almost did a glider run with a 20' siding panel off the top of that thing.
Now the Job Fair is touted at being at Safeco Field...for those not familiar, this is a baseball stadium...fairly large. It also says dress to impress and bring 20-30 copies of your resume. I'm thinking this is going to be a good day for hunting...possibly get some prelim interviews. Nothing could be further from the truth.
First off, the walk to Safeco from the ferry is about a mile...not bad, but I realize that the shoes I am wearing, while nice looking, are bad for walking. I get there and the event is upstairs in a box seat lounge area...not terribly big. My heart begins to sink a bit. There is a line to get in (cost was free) but its moving steadily. I check the time: 10:35am. The event has been going on for 35 minutes...good haven't missed much and should be able to get things going here. Then I realize why the line is movng. They are only letting in people as people leave and people are leaving at a decent clip.
Hold up! It's 35 minutes old and people are bailing already???? Oh, this is not good. when I get in, I get a bag to hold all my information that I will collect and turn the corner to see 15-16 hirers present. This isn't a job fair, it's a job meet or a job tent. A fair denotes having lots of activity, many sights to see, maybe even rides and exhibits. This had none of that unless the truck driving school was the ride. I grabbed some information from a couple of employers and left by 11:00am.
Now I'm not trying to bag on the people who put it on. My expectations were higher though which gets us toward the lessons learned section of today's blog. While I didn't get inetrview time or even much time at all from folks there, I did get some things that are worth sharing.
- Do Your Research - Look at which employers are attending and get a sense of them before going. Look at the venue and get clarification from the event host on the exact location. You may get an idea of size.
- Be Prepared - While I'm glad I had my resumes ready, no one was collecting them. I wished I'd had my Contact cards done, though, as I think those might have been better used with other folks in the room. Also, check your wardrobe ahead of time so you are not surprised when you can't button the top button on your shirt anymore. The 7 P's will keep you on track.
- Act/Dress to Impress - OK, funny part of this morning...my comic relief. Two different groups of young men, all wearing polo shirts or trendy urban wear down to the sagging pants. One group was ogling women as they left the fair and making comments. I was behind them in line and had to stifle my laughter because if I were an employer. there is no way I would hire ANY of them. Wrong attitudes, not ready for serious corporate type work. That said, dress like you want to be treated like you are the shiznit...it helps.
Exercise (along with shin splints in one leg from the bad shoes)
Some new places to hunt online
Taste of a Job Fair (leaves a slight sour/bitter aftertaste)
Good lunch (World Wrapps' Thai Chicken Wrap gets a MAJOR A+++ from me)
That's the day in a nutshell...kind of a wasted morning for what I looked for, but still got a morning with no kids and a chance to see what is out there. Oh, what are the 7P's you ask?
Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
Truer words never spoken...
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