From the Area Leader in Matching Employers to Job Seekers
Finding the right employees is no easy task in a city that has long enjoyed a fairly recession-proof economy where the unemployment rate hovers at a mere 3.6%.
“The unemployment rate in Omaha means that employers struggle to find the right candidates … or any candidates at all, really,” OmahaJobs.com Director Clay Seaman said. “Most job seekers are very selective. They usually already have a fulltime job and are shopping around, sometimes in a pretty casual way as they thoughtfully look for career advancement opportunities.
“It’s not like the old days when people just applied for any job for which they could possibly qualify. They may not have a robust job funnel, but the ones they do pursue are more laser-targeted, and that’s a good candidate to encounter at a job fair or anywhere else.”
With over 800 job fairs under his belt, New Plains Media’s Clay Seaman is one of the area’s foremost matchmakers when it comes to bringing employers and job-seekers together. Among his other responsibilities with us, Clay manages our OmahaJobs.com website and runs our OmahaJobs.com Job Fairs, the last two of the year are scheduled for Nov. 10 and Dec. 8 at the Ralston Arena.
“I feel like we are uniquely positioned as a creative resource for area businesses,” Clay said. “Our background in publishing connected us to many of the city’s businesses in a partnering, consultative fashion and now we’ve leveraged our expertise and those same relationships over time in our Digital Services efforts and SEO work. You learn a lot about a business once you get to the planning table. Our clients tell us that other vendors take a more ‘silo’ approach in targeting specialty areas, but we like to go big and understand the entirety of a business … beginning with a logical starting point of helping you hire the right people as a foundation for success.”
Our job fairs feature an average of about 20-40 employers and attract a minimum of about 200-800 job-seekers to each event.
“One of the things an HR professional understands is that candidates hate the online application process,” Clay added. “They are qualified, but too often experience that black hole of never hearing anything back. They don’t want to connect to a website; they want to connect with people. Job fairs change that dynamic and turns an impersonal process into a face-to-face experience where so much more can happen for both employer and job-seeker. Now it’s a conversation. Now it’s a collaboration, an exercise in matching skills and experience to your needs.”
Clay has some simple advice for employers to get the most out of one of our job fairs.
“The most important thing you can do is to get out from behind your table,” Clay explained. “Just as good parents and teachers know to kneel down to a child’s level to be in the same physical space as them when communicating, it’s awkward and even intimidating for a candidate to be left standing in a conversation with one who is seated. Be approachable. Stand up and come around to the front of your table. Communicate as respected equals.”
Clay’s additional advice for maximizing success at one of our job fairs:
Be Your Company
Remember, you are the face of your company that day. You are the face of your business, a steward of your brand and mission. Whatever impression you leave with a job candidate, it is likely to be their first impression, so make it count as a great ambassador for your company.
Hang Up and Drive!
Being on your phone is the best candidate repellant at any job fair. To drive the most people to your booth, put your devices away for the day or use them as discreetly and infrequently as possible. Common courtesy says “Do not approach” when you encounter someone on a phone, so be as welcoming as you can be by limiting phone usage during the job fair.
Food is a No-No
See above when it comes to common courtesy. If you’re chowing down, polite job seekers will do a detour around your table. Eat only away from your table or before or after your event.
The Only Swag That Matters is Your Own
Cruising the other vendors for swag is just plain tacky. That ballpoint pen or book bag from your neighboring vendors isn’t that important, is it?
A Firm Shake
You don’t have to be a germaphobe to dread the idea of the dozens of handshakes that will come with your attendance at a job fair, but a good handshake is still a pillar of American business. Especially as we go into flu season, toss a box of hand wipes into your kit.
Hello, My Name Is
Have you ever forgotten someone’s name a nanosecond after introductions because you were thinking of something else? Job candidates are already in a potentially stressful situation. Make it easy on them by wearing a name tag with at least your first name on it. Better yet, skip the adhesive, throwaway nametags and invest in a magnet-backed name tag.
Clay stands ready to answer all of your questions in preparing you for a winning day at our Nov. 10 Job Fair at Ralston Arena, or to improve your overall employment brand, so contact him at 402.341.7323 ext. 108 or clay@thereader.com.
