Standing out at a Job Fair can make a difference in your job hunt. Job Faires are starting to pick up, and a major job search company is running some nice ones, called Targeted Job Fairs. At a Silicon Valley Job Faire in January, 10 companies as showing up, and a major job search company has 82 job fairs scheduled for 2010 across the US.

How do you get to the real interviews at a Job Faire? The rivalry can be substantial, but you can help yourself jump out from the gang with advance homework. At AA-Careers, we have a simplified six-step process to prepare. Plan to go? Here’s how to prepare:

First, investigate the organizations that are going and pick your objectives. Use the web to research the companies that are there before you even decide to go. Go to their web sites and see if they have their jobs posted. Pick a sound number to target, and get ready to spend an hour or more researching each one. It’s hard to do more than nine in a day, and three or four is a much more reasonable target. For each hiring organization, you want to know: recent news, key product lines, and exectuve names. Try to see if you know anyone at the target companies. You will end up with with a page or two of research for each company/job.

Second, if there are job openings on the web, read them to see what the company is looking for. Create a mapping of your accomplishments and skills to the requirements of the job. Make the terminology match. If the hiring organization calls customers "clients", your resume should do the same thing. The accomplishments should be written in the style of the hiring company.

Third, create a ‘mini sales pitch’ for each potential company/position combination. Write down a 90 second ‘thumbnail’ that you can repeat out loud showing why you are a fantastic prospect for that job. You’ll use this in your resume and when you meet the company at the job booth.

Fourth, modify your resume for each position. The objective on your resume should exactly match the position you’re aiming for. The executive summary should be a written form of your “mini sales pitch” for the job. Then choose the achievements and skills that most clearly match the job description. Especially at a Career Fair, the purpose of your resume is a sales tool for you – to get you on-site job interviews. It should be simple to see that you’re a fit based on your resume.

Fifth, dress and prepare as if you’re doing on-site interviews. Dress nicely and be properly groomed. Don’t over do-it (this isn’t a date!) and don’t underdress (no jeans or t-shirts, no matter how much you paid for them). Avoid strong cologne or perfume.

Finally, practice your ‘mini-sales-pitch’. Collect your research and the resume for each spot - bring a couple of copies for each – and put each in a understandably marked folder. Keep them in a lightweight briefcase or folio.

Remember to smile, and good hunting!