Trade Show Employment Bureaus -- Are They Worth The Trouble? Part I
By Norman Fraley Jr., distance learning manager for Kelly Scientific Resources
Recently, I spent a week at Pittcon (New Orleans, LA; March 12–17). If you have not been to this show, you really need to twist an arm or two to go at least once. Formerly known as the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, the show is so big and so cool you cannot help but be "geeked" by the toys on display. It truly borders on overwhelming for the first timer. Pittcon will be held in New Orleans for the next two years, so start pestering your managers now so that you can attend.
In addition to hosting thousands of exhibitors and a plethora of seminars, this annual Mother-Of-All-Scientific-Instrumentation-Shows features an Employment Bureau where employers and employees can meet to discuss job opportunities. The Bureau usually assists about 1,000 candidates and lists about 1,000 jobs. Since grad school, every job I have had has come from my interactions at Pittcon.
For the benefit of those who have not been to the show, here's how the Employment Bureau theoretically works. Candidates register by listing their interests and skills on a form, while employers register by listing the requirements for their job openings. Each form is entered into a database, where matches are made between job candidates and employers. Candidates are then scheduled to interview with the matching employers.
Please note, however, I did say theoretically. The Employment Bureau process doesn't actually work quite as smoothly as this.
How It Works
In reality, once all of the data from employers and candidates are entered into the computer, they are printed and placed in binders numbered 1–50, 51–100, etc. These binders are scattered on 15 large round tables. Ten chairs are set around each table, and about 150 (mostly confused) job candidates pack the room, clambering for the employer binders. This scene is repeated in another room where employers jostle for candidate binders.
The binders are in hot demand because they're needed to complete the "matching" process. After you complete an interest/skills form, Pittcon personnel process the data and hand you a list of numbers that represent your matches. You must then flip through the binders to match your numbers with either a job description or a resume.
If you like what you see, you then fill out a colored card to leave a message for the candidate/employer and hand the message to another Pittcon staff member. The messages are hand delivered to a wall of tiny "private" mailboxes that correspond to each of the numbers in the binders. The messages are eventually retrieved, read, and cross-referenced to the binders to determine who sent them. If you are interested in the messages you receive, you can either send another message, or complete an interview request form (these are entered into the database by Pittcon personnel). An interview request slip is then printed and hand-delivered to the matching mailbox to await retrieval.
Typical Scenario
Let's pretend you are a job seeker who is attending Pittcon for the first time. You come in Monday morning fresh and excited, ready to interview for the position of your dreams. When you arrive, the first site to greet your eyes is a line of people waiting to interview in the booths. How can this be? The show just opened! How did they already arrange their interviews?
Most of these are veteran candidates who arrived on Sunday. They burned through the binders and had interview requests waiting in the employer boxes before the exposition opened on Monday morning.
With a sigh, you walk to the candidate room only to find 300 other candidates madly trading binders like they were Poke'mon cards. You complete your job search form and wait in line for 20 minutes for your turn to get a list of 200 matches to your search. You spend the next four hours fighting for binders and looking for your dream job. After grabbing a stack of message cards, you feverishly write notes to employers expressing your interest and give them to a Pittcon message sentinel. Then you wait…
And wait…
Remember, the show is huge. There are thousands of very cool gizmos to see here and the convention hall is about a mile long. Unfortunately, someone put the employment center in Alabama relative to the rest of the show and you must hike a quarter mile just to get to the beginning of the expo floor. You grab an apple and start looking around. After 20 minutes or so, you realize that there could be a message in your mailbox, so you run back to the employment center to look.
To learn what happens when you reach your mailbox and the matching process begins, read: Trade Show Employment Bureaus—Are They Worth The Trouble? Part II. This will be featured on LaboratoryNetwork.com later this week.