January 12, 2023 by Brett Gallagher Preparation is The Key to Success SME has partnered with Women in Manufacturing® Association (WiM) to produce two virtual career fairs in 2023, with the first scheduled for February 9, 2023, and the second to be held at a date to be determined later in the year. The career fairs will bring qualified job seekers, including women and men, to connect with companies seeking to fill positions in a broad range of manufacturing disciplines. In preparation for these career fairs, SME Membership has created a program for career fair attendees to maximize their experience. Job seekers can attend the pre-virtual career fair event taking place on Feb. 1 from 3-4pm ET. Attendees will learn key tips on how to develop your strategy for one-on-one discussions with a hiring professional to pitch your best and most impactful elevator speech. In addition, attendees will explore resume tips, networking, and interviewing strategies including pre-planning techniques, etiquette, and one of the most critical interviewing skills.Register Now We spoke with webinar speakers, Executive Recruiter, Career Coach Arthur Hughes, and Career Communications and Marketing Strategist Laura Johnson to discuss what participants can expect to learn during this program and how to maximize opportunities when participating in a virtual career fair experience. Meet The Speakers Arthur Hughes has been an Executive Client Partner at Heller DeLand Group since early 2019. He also works with high-potential individuals seeking to enhance their leadership skills to reach new levels in their career, as well as providing job search coaching and development for those who wish to grow in their respective profession and/or transition to other industries. Laura Johnson is an enthusiast for how experience, talents, skills, interests, and strengths uniquely combine to create meaning in careers, lives, the world. She has a unique background in social services combined with corporate training and development experience, lending to Career Marketing and Personal Branding. Laura focuses on direct and positive conversations that uncover unique strengths, contributions, and accomplishments, to create custom, market-driven, well-crafted communications. Why is a program like this beneficial to job seekers? A program like this can be beneficial to job seekers because it can help them to better understand the job search process and provide them with strategies and techniques that they can use to make the most of their time at a career fair. For example, this pre-event preparation program will cover topics such as researching companies and industries, creating a strong resume, and effective networking with potential employers. What are the key takeaways from this pre-event preparation program? This program will give an overview of the logistics of the virtual platform (how to manage the system, IM, and video chats). Another major focus is to help job seekers better understand the job search process and what employers are looking for in candidates. This includes techniques for researching companies and industries, tips for creating a strong resume, and an elevator pitch. Also, providing strategies for effective networking with potential employers and ideas for how to follow up after the career fair. Overall, we want to provide a sense of confidence that will leave job seekers well-prepared for the virtual career fair and future employment search situations. How can people maximize their experience at a virtual career fair? To get ready for a virtual career fair, or any event where you are seeking employment there are a few steps you can take to make sure you’re prepared. First and foremost, ensure your technology is ready to go and avoid potential problems during the career fair. A successful virtual event starts with your digital assets so make sure you’ve tested everything, and you don’t have any hang-ups with your technology. Be sure to practice online chatting and video interviewing ahead of the event to test environments and address any distractions.Job seekers should research the companies and industries that will be represented at the fair and come prepared with questions and topics of conversation. Have a clear understanding of your own strengths, skills, and career goals, and be able to articulate this to potential employers. Also, make sure to dress professionally, even during a virtual event (this can help to create a sense of professionalism and readiness). Take advantage of any additional resources or opportunities offered by the career fair organizers, such as resume critiques or mock interviews, and lastly, follow up with any contacts or leads you made during the event in timely manner, either through phone, email, or LinkedIn. If you take these things into consideration, employers will appreciate your enthusiasm, they’ll see your preparation and willingness to participate in the virtual career fair process. They will respect the effort in embracing the job-seeking process. About SME: SME connects manufacturing professionals, academia, and communities, sharing knowledge and resources to build inspired, educated, and prosperous manufacturers and enterprises. With nearly 90 years of experience and expertise in events, media, membership, training, and development, and through the SME Education Foundation, SME is committed to promoting manufacturing technology, developing a skilled workforce and attracting future generations to advance manufacturing. Learn more at sme.org, follow @SME_MFG on Twitter or facebook.com/SMEmfg. www.sme.org About WiM: The Women in Manufacturing® Association (WiM) is a national and global trade association dedicated to supporting, promoting and inspiring women who have chosen a career in the manufacturing industry. It provides year-round support to more than 16,000 individual members representing more than 2,000 manufacturing companies from 48 U.S. states and 40 countries. WiM encompasses manufacturers of all types and welcomes individuals from every job function – from production to the C-Suite. Membership is available to anyone working with or within the manufacturing sector. www.womeninmanufacturing.org
