Spotlight for Career Services Professionals

When it comes to maximizing job fair attendance, there’s bit of quick advice from the NACE Community: Don’t hold job fairs on Friday.

One community member noted that his office’s Friday morning job fair had met with low attendance. He asked the community if there a day/time when students do show up and employers are satisfied with turnout. Several responders noted that Mondays see low turnout because students generally aren’t prepared. By Friday, students have already checked out.

One poster said that Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. worked well for her school of 2,500 students. Another school, with 9,000 students, holds one career fair per semester on a Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. More than half the student population attends, the counselor noted.

Check with the registrar’s office to find out when students are most likely to be in class, another suggested. At his school, most students prefer morning classes, so career fairs are usually in the afternoon. Employers like afternoon events, he added, because they don’t have to get up quite as early.

Join this discussion and others in the NACE Community.