Boston Fair Info and thoughts..

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Frenchie
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2018 8:11 pm

Boston Fair Info and thoughts..

Post by Frenchie »

hi there,
Thought I'd give a bit of insight to the Cambridge fair. It won't come close to Shadowjack's!

Friday Night:

I arrived on Friday and staying at the hotel where the fair is. So glad I did this as when having downtime or needed a break, it's nice to be so close. That being said, it's a bit overwhelming being surrounded by both recruiters and candidates. They are next to you in the hotel room or all of us in the elevator together. Everyone has been very nice and it's been lovely chatting with others.

I did put handwritten notes, plus my ïchiro and my CV in the mailboxes of the recruiters I wanted to see the next day. In my mailbox, I found a pen from a school and chocolate from a school that was not on my radar but intrigued me a bit. So, I wrote back to her with my documents saying I would like to meet her at the sign-up session.


Saturday:

The next morning at 8:00 am I went down and I thought it would be chaos trying to get in. It really wasn't that bad and you have loads of time to move around the room. There were 2 sign up sessions so it was nice to not feel too rushed. Some of the schools had long lines, but at the most, it was 25 min. Honestly, the room cleared out after 30 minutes so I think one could have waited. However, one school I was interested in politely told me they had no more interview slots left so maybe I waited too long. They did have my note that I put in their mailbox out on the table and they remembered who I was.

Men are in a suite and tie and women are either in dresses or pants and a jacket. I opted for this with a white blouse. Some women seem a bit underdressed, but maybe that's my perception.

There were 3 schools that had my note out on the table that I had put in their box from the night before. They remembered who I was and thanked me for the note. Even if it didn't go anywhere, I do think handwritten notes attached to your CV make a difference. A few of my schools already had their positions filled, but I went to the table anyway to introduce myself as one never knows if something will come up.

One school in China was very happy I put the note in the box. I had written off the school, but the HOS was interested. I went to the school presentation and I was hoping for an email from them about an interview, but as of right now, nothing.

I went to 5 presentations and had 2 interviews that were schools not on my radar. One had sent me an email and I thought why not. The second one was a result of the chocolate in my box.

It's been a good experience thus far and learning alot. I looked around the room and wished I was only 25 and single as I would have so many options to go wherever in the world. Those folks are lucky!

I went very briefly to the cocktail hour as we opted to go for some good seafood while in Beantown. Will write more tomorrow.Good night from Beantown!!
shadowjack
Posts: 2138
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am

Re: Boston Fair Info and thoughts..

Post by shadowjack »

Nice post Frenchie. I wouldn't worry about level of details etc...my philosophy is that every little bit helps and everybody is different.

I am waiting for the next installment and crossing my fingers and toes! Thank you for sharing - together it makes us all better to have more knowledge!
Frenchie
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2018 8:11 pm

Re: Boston Fair Info and thoughts..

Post by Frenchie »

Part 2:

Sunday:

Well after I thought I had a second interview at a school I rec'd 2 emails back to back, one said we would like to invite you blah blah.... and 20 min later I got one that said, thank you but we are not taking any more applicants. Good thing I hadn't opened the first one and responded!! It was actually fine as the school really wasn't a good choice for me.

Another one requested a 2nd interview, but since it is a new school in ME they only have 9-10th grade so the only option for my child for 12th grade is virtual school. What is the point of going all the way to an exotic location if your child cannot be part of the educational experience?! I politely declined and want to keep in touch for future.

I sat in on a bunch of presentations - (one can do this when no interviews)!! and learned a lot about different areas. I sat in on a school in Beijing that wasn't on my radar and turned out the school was still hiring for elementary. I passed on my CV to him and I wrote him a handwritten note to thank him for speaking to me at the presentation and he did write back thanking me.

My SA contact suggested I reach out again to the schools I was interested in with a note. I wrote handwritten notes to them and put them in their mailboxes. It cannot hurt and it's only paper!

I heard a lot of conversations of people having loads of interviews - a bit of a downer, but it appeared they were younger and maybe no dependents...... but not sure. Also, others that like me, had nothing.

The fair was successful for me as I got to see how it all goes down. I made some good contacts - maybe they will go somewhere and maybe not......I think it is beneficial to meet recruiters face to face, but I am not sure I would do this again. It's an expensive endeavor. I would be interested to know the % of hires from this fair.
FV2020
Posts: 40
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2018 9:21 am

Re: Boston Fair Info and thoughts..

Post by FV2020 »

Thank you for the updates, Frenchie! I have my fingers crossed that something will pop up for you. Keep us posted!
shadowjack
Posts: 2138
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am

Re: Boston Fair Info and thoughts..

Post by shadowjack »

According to Search, 40% hiring after the fairs. Don't let that stop you from applying for other jobs as they pop up too!
Frenchie
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2018 8:11 pm

Re: Boston Fair Info and thoughts..

Post by Frenchie »

Yes, I will keep on applying - thank you!

Anyone else on here go to Boston Fair and secure a job???
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Response

Post by PsyGuy »

Its about 40% but this counts first night interviews, the success rate for those going in cold is closer to 25%-30%. Another about 30% are successful as a direct result of fair activity.
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