How do you balance persistence and professionalism in your career fair follow up email frequency?

Because most career fair attendees don't take the time to follow up, your email will help you stand out and draw the recruiter's attention back to your resume.

A follow-up email should recap the conversation that you had. Remind them of the position you are best suited for. Express your excitement and genuine interest based on the information you received and what they said that stood out to you during the interaction.

Following up within a day after meeting someone at a career fair whereby you can thank them for their time - be specific about what school and the date-and if they provided advice that you e followed. For example the recruiter suggested you apply to a few positions they have, be sure to mention that you did so and include the job title and reference number to make it easier for them to search and find your application.

I recommend connecting within 24 hours, but understand they may be overwhelmed with leads and if you haven't heard back within 3 days, follow up again with a gentle reminder.

Another approach is to connect with them via LinkedIn. Send them a personalized message (how much you enjoyed meeting them at the Job Fair or something you learned as a result of your conversation with them) and ask them to connect. Don't stop there! Many recruiters post open roles on Linkedin and share content. Follow them and build a relationship with them. Provide meaningful comments on their posts and articles and share their open roles. Networking is all about relationships. Start early and continue to "network" throughout your career!

I use a three-touch approach using different methods of communication. This could any combination of phone call, text, email, or DM. Spread the follow-up messages out by at least 3 business days, and make sure you're providing detailed information in each touchpoint.

If you haven’t heard anything back after 3-4 emails, it is time to move to a new strategy. Try connecting on LinkedIn if you haven’t already and seeing who else you can connect with at their company.

My rule of thumb is after 2 follow-ups, it's time to move on. That's not to say you shouldn't stay in touch, but not by email. There are any number of reasons who you don't hear back and it's possible (check that, likely) that a recruiter has no status update. I have a newfound respect for recruiters after hearing so many of these stories. We need to have real conversations with hiring managers too about the whole job search process

Ideally, when you're at the career fair you'd be asking the follow-up question when you meet someone - " When and how should I follow-up?" Many recruiters I speak with have no issue with you texting them as a follow-up as they're inundated with emails - same goes when a recruiter shares their cell as contact info

Career fairs are great opportunities to gather information. If you meet a recruiter and they don’t have a job that matches your qualifications, don’t walk away just yet. Ask them if there is someone else you can connect with that recruits your skill set, ask what qualifications you’re missing that would make you a better match, or what other events the company attends where you can learn more. If an employer is not accepting a hard copy of your resume and tells you to apply online, ask a follow up question. Ask what happens when you do- what’s the process and how can you make your application stand out amongst the sea of others? Lastly, ask for a business card or be sure to get their name so you can follow up.