Mastering the Job Fair

By: Randy Dotinga At the very least, you'll be able to pick up a bounty of freebies -- a tin of mints from the Associated Press, a handy Denver Post coaster, a snazzy San Francisco Chronicle refrigerator magnet. And if you're really lucky, a job fair will provide you with something even more valuable -- the prospect of a new work address.

But getting in the door may be the hardest part. Attending a newsroom-oriented job fair can cost a bundle. And if you're attending an event targeting a minority group that you're not a member of, you might feel awkward.

Here's a primer on how to use job fairs to your advantage.

Plan ahead: For an exhaustive list of all the job fairs, visit this Detroit Free Press Web page: http://www.freep.com/jobspage/toolkit/jobfairs.htm. But before you go to one, make sure it's geared for journalists with your level of experience.

If you've been writing or editing for years, stick with the job fairs that are held at the annual conventions of the minority journalist associations. But beware that the registration fees aren't cheap.

The African-American, Hispanic, and Asian associations hold the biggest job fairs. You'll find smaller fairs at the conventions for Native Americans and lesbians and gay journalists.

Also consider the California Chicano News Media Association's job fair, which will be held from Oct. 17-19 in Los Angeles, or the Spirit of Diversity fair, scheduled for Nov. 21-23 in Detroit.

Meanwhile, the mother of all job fairs, UNITY, is held once every five years and brings together the four ethnic minority journalist groups. The next one is in 2004.

College students and rookie journalists are welcome at the above job fairs. But they may find it easier and cheaper to attend regional job fairs sponsored by the American Society of Newspaper Editors and designed for people just getting started in the business.

"It's for the papers that can't go to a lot of colleges and a lot of conventions," said ASNE Diversity Director Bobbi Bowman. "We want to bring the job fair within driving distance of them."

The job fairs typically attract about 100 students and 25-30 recruiters, Bowman said.

Expand your horizons: While the ASNE fairs are designed for minorities, "we don't turn anyone away," Bowman said. Minority journalist associations are generally open to anyone, and recruiters said they don't mind if non-minorities make appearances at job fairs geared toward ethnic groups.

If you just want to visit a convention's job fair for a day, you could try to sneak in and avoid paying a full registration fee. But recruiters are bound to notice you're not wearing a convention badge.

Come prepared: The Oregonian is in, well, Oregon. Portland, to be exact. And it's not a weekly. Knowing these two facts will give you a leg up on some people, said George Rede, director of recruiting and training.

If you're a reporter candidate, come ready with cover letter, one-page resume, packet of 5-10 clips, and a vision. "What I'm looking for is someone who has a realistic idea of what a good position for them would be, regardless of whether they have a job now or not," said Kathy Pellegrino, recruitment editor at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale. "It's very discouraging for a recruiter if a recent college graduate comes to a medium-sized newspaper and starts talking about how they'd like to be the metro columnist."

Look ahead: The recruiter you schmooze today may be the key to a job many years from now.

From the perspective of recruiters, "the overriding value of job fairs is being able to establish relationships, getting to know more people in the field, and being able to track people," Rede said. "Folks you're interested in today may not be ready for you until some time down the road."

Just ask Nicole C. Wong, whose three-year pursuit of the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News paid off. She first met with newspaper recruiter Pat Thompson at a job fair just after her freshman year and stayed in touch while attending other fairs. She interned at the paper and grabbed a reporter position after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley.

"People do remember you," Wong said. "Job fairs create lasting impressions. It's so much more effective than just sending out packages cold."

COMING NEXT WEEK: You don't work in the newsroom, but you'd like to meet potential bosses in person just like the reporters do. What options do you have?