Updated 02/18/2009 03:26 PM
Thousands Fill Manhattan Job Fair
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Thousands of New Yorkers headed to the Radisson Martinique in Midtown today for the New York Career Fair.
At one point, the line to get into the event stretched around the block.
Compared to last year, about 30 percent more companies and government agencies sent representatives to be on hand to accept resumes and discuss employment opportunities.
"There are not a lot of positions to give out," explained health care recruiter Carla Holub Tarantino. "But for that right person, who is going to work with us and who is going to encompass that type of care we want to give our clients, I'm sure we'll be finding them here today."
Recruiters said job seekers lately are of a higher caliber.
"I've been coming every other month, and especially in the last six months I've been seeing lots of candidates with better qualities, meaning, higher education," said Jay Roe of MetLife.
Some seeking employment say they are aware of the particularly difficult job market, having spent months seeking a new job.
"It's been really rough and I don't even know what to say sometimes," said job seeker Jason Ruiz. "Even though you see a lot of job postings, you just don't get a lot of call backs for some reason."
Sales, marketing, financial analysts and United States military were among the fields represented at today's fair.
Bob Hillman, an organizer of the career fair, said the group has already visited more than a dozen cities already in 2009 and that attendance has doubled over the last year.
New York City lost 70,000 jobs in the last quarter of 2008.
By: Kimberly Bishop, vice chairman and executive recruiter of Slayton Search Partners
Think Like a Marketer. Identify your key selling points. Know your strengths and skills. Do your research. Carefully target your potential new employers, craft persuasive messages and determine ways to get their attention.
Get Organized. Have your paperwork in order. Make sure your resume is up to date, your cover letters drafted, your references lined up and prepped.
Prepare For The Interview: Anticipate the questions an interviewer might ask and prepare the answers. Make a list of people you worked with and your role in each assignment so you can quickly cite an example of how you fit the job specification.
Don't Pitch Every Job. You are anxious with one eye on bills and the other on your savings account, but restrain yourself. Many aren't right for you no matter how much you're worried about cash flow. Pick your spots. Take the time to craft a short, punchy summary that translates and matches your experience to the job requirements.
Follow-up, But Do It Gently. Be assertive, not aggressive. Reference the last interaction each time you call or email. Be polite to hiring managers and administrative staff. Don't let frustration, delays or anxiety get the better of you.
You're On The Company's Timetable, Not Yours. Every position you interview for is at a different stage in the search process. In some cases you are the first person they're seeing. In others, they have already seen a number of candidates. Understanding how and when you intersect with the on-going search is the most important piece of intelligence you can get because it will shape the way you position yourself and how you persuade them to hire you.