A couple of them promptly contacted me and politely reminding me that this event was for alumni only and there would a "check-in desk" at the door. I know their intentions were for the best: they were concerned that non-alums would get their hopes up and when they got there, would quickly get their hopes dashed as they got turned away at the check-in desk (full disclosure: I am an alumnus of this university).

I appreciate their concern. I certainly don't want to be putting anyone in an awkward position. But, I've been to many college job fairs and I've never, ever seen anyone confirm if attendees are alumni or not.

Think about it: The career fair is run by the career services office, whose employees are overworked and underpaid. Their job is to support the recruiters. In order to confirm every attendee's alumni status would require a list of graduates from every school from every campus in the state (4 campuses for this university). If the list to be anywhere comprehensive, it would have to go back 20 or 30 years. Who would have the time to compile and verify the accuracy of such a list, assuming it was complete in the first place. Everyone is scrambling to put on the job fair.

The companies are there to find good people. They don't really give a hoot if you're an alumnus or not. They just want to find qualified applicants.

So, those were my thoughts as I composed, and sent, the following email to my group:

Hi all,

I just wanted to clarify something about this post.

A couple of you have alerted me to the fact that this job fair is only for CU Alums. And that there will be a "check in" table at the entrance.

I know that.

So why did I post this knowing that many, if not most, of you are not CU alums? Because my take is, "So what? Go anyway."

I'm a former corporate recruiter who's been to many college job fairs. I've never, ever seen anyone try to confirm your status as an alumus.

The purpose of this event is for the represented companies to find qualified applicants. The university's job is to help them do that. The companies don't really give a hoot if you're an alumnus or not. They're looking for good people to hire.

I believe that, given the state of the economy, and the exceptional challenges job seekers face, you cannot leave any stone unturned. You do what you need to do to get the job. And that may mean going to a job fair at a university you haven't attended, much less graduated from. It may also mean they won't let you in.

But isn't it worth the risk, albeit a small risk, for the opportunity to get an interview and maybe even a job? So, I say go for it. I'd love to know how it goes. If you get a job out of this, then fantastic! As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about this post. Good luck!

As you can see, my attitude is, the risk is worth the possible reward. What do you think?

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Job fair networking involves speaking with, getting to know, and extracting contact details from company representatives and recruiters. You need to go through this process because employers want to check that job fair attendants are good fits for the company. Whether or not you mesh with other people in the company is difficult to show on a piece of paper, so you have to pro-actively prove to the representative that you are in fact a good fit. A good place to begin is JobConcierge.com that has an extensive list of job fairs and career fairs online.

Before dropping your resume, you should try to seek out the company's senior managers or hiring managers. Other employees are great, too, but you want the people with influence to remember that you are a great candidate for the job they'll be making the decisions about who to hire at the end of the day.

Additionally, before speaking with the representatives, you should have prepared a short statement (thirty seconds to one minute) about your background, why you would be a good fit, and why you are enthusiastic about working for the company. This statement does not need to be memorized, but you will need to have some outline of what you want to say to the recruiters before you go. You want the representative to know that you aren't just there to drop resumes at every stand, desperately hoping to catch any interview thrown your way. It would be a good idea to find a friend before the fair and practice your response to the question, Can you tell me a little about yourself? Other possible questions may revolve around your potential career plans or past work experience.

By researching companies before heading out to the job fair, you will also be able to show companies how you can help their business going forward. If you know from your research that the company is starting new projects in Japan, you will be able to let them know that you are fluent in Japanese, have worked in Japan before, and can lead projects there by being the first line of management in employing the native workers (but only if these are all true). This is just another way that you can leave a good and lasting impression by researching in advance.

Before you go to your next job fair, don't forget to thoroughly practice, research, and prepare yourself. We recommend you review JobConcierge.com for career advice and more job fair information. This is the best way to make sure you leave a good impression with each representative at the fair. If you're fortunate, your networking preparation (and strong resume) will result in the start of a new career.

JobConcierge offers human powered job search service - Real people search through 300 job sites and submit applications. JobConcierge job search optimization is known for its extensive career fair list

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