Dear Roze:
I’ve been job hunting longer than I care to admit. I do the things you and other consultants have suggested so that my name and credentials are out there, but I’m fed up with job fairs. I carve out blocks of time for them and wait in long lines to meet the people standing by glitzy booths representing their companies. Typically, when I get to the head of the line, I’m greeted with a fake smile and told to keep my resume I tailored for their company and to submit it through their website. The person either has limited or no knowledge about the job I’m applying for, or no time to answer my questions. It’s like they speak from a script they can’t veer from. They refer me to their site and hand me a brochure that mirrors the information I studied on their site earlier. There’s no opportunity to sell myself. I thought these events were for that and to provide answers to questions their sites don’t address. I don’t think they’re worth my time and energy. Any suggestions?
Fed up with job fairs
Dear Fed up with job fairs:
I have heard similar complaints but I have also heard from individuals who have had the positive experiences you had expected. Given our challenging job market, I suggest that you continue to go to fairs, but only to those where the industries you are interested in are exhibiting. Prepare for them as you have always done. Job fairs can be opportunities to make connections and impressions with employers and can provide helpful employment resources and tools as well. Even meeting and exchanging information with other job-seekers at these events can be beneficial. Hang in there!
Dear Roze:
Over 15 years ago, an old military buddy entered the private sector and pleaded with me to invest several thousand dollars in his new business venture. I succumbed to his request and learned months later that the business was not on the up-and-up. When I tried to contact him, the company had folded and he was no where to be found. Then, last year, we unexpectedly made contact via the Internet and he floored me with an apology. I never thought I’d hear from him again, much less get an apology. He even took his apology a step further and said he wanted to repay me for his indiscretion by retaining my training services for his company’s sales team. He told me to put together a program and email it to him, after which he would call me to go over the program’s particulars, my fees, and to schedule a training date. When two weeks passed and I hadn’t heard anything, I resent my email and left him an easygoing voice mail asking him to call. Over six months have passed and I’ve never heard from him! What a scammer! I can’t believe he snookered me again. I really want to track him down and give him a piece of my mind. Your thoughts?
Scammed and not happy
Dear Scammed and not happy:
I am sure you have heard of the old saying, “A leopard never changes its spots.” I suggest that you take this saying to heart and refrain from having any kind of interaction with this individual. Learn from these experiences and do not allow him or anyone else to take advantage of you. As another saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”
© 2010 Rozanne R. Worrell
