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Tips for Showcase Exhibitors | |
By Miki Magyar
July 200
The BWA Showcase is a great opportunity for you to connect with potential employers and fellow writers. It?s also an unusual format for most of us. Even if you?re confident about doing interviews, this isn?t an interview, and you may not get any job leads directly. A realistic goal is to be remembered when the jobs are available. Here are a few tips to make the event more successful for you.
Think like a visitor. If you were a potential employer walking into the hall, what would you look for? What would draw your attention? What would you remember the next day, or a month later?
Make your table attractive. You don?t need to spend a fortune to do it. Something as simple as a tablecloth and color-coordinated poster can present a professional touch. Look for fancy paper (borders, colors, designs) for signage. Add flowers.
Keep it simple. You don?t have to show all 200 projects you?ve worked on. A cluttered display is not attractive. A few selected items with the rest handy behind you will suffice. However, a tall stack of manuals or novels might be pretty dramatic.
You have 15 seconds. Let people know instantly who you are and what you do. Sure, you can do it all, but focus on one or two skills you want to promote. Again, think like a buyer. How can you signal to the person you want to work for that you?re the one they want?
Use three dimensions. Papers laid flat on the table have less impact than something vertical. The El Cheapo Disposable display case is a cardboard tray (the kind they use to ship soda cans) covered with cloth or paper and a brick behind it to hold it upright, with your work or poster displayed on it.
Everyone likes freebies. Have something they can take away that has your contact information on it ? a handout with writing tips, cartoons to post on their cube, a coupon for a free or discounted consultation or evaluation (First Hour Free!), pretty bookmarks ? anything you can create easily and cheaply. A dish of candy is nice, too.
Have copies of your resume and business cards handy, of course. If you have a brochure or flyer, bring those. Make sure you have a notebook or pen and paper to take notes when people give you information.
Have a Plan B for online stuff. Make sure you have hard copy samples of your web pages or online help, just in case.
Smile. Make eye contact. Ask what they need, what they do. Refer them to the right person if it isn?t you, or to the Directory. Let them know what you want to do. Keep smiling and scanning, even while you?re talking. Often people will be attracted to an interesting discussion, so raise your voice a bit. Use eye contact to include the listeners. You?re there to make memorable conversation.
Ask questions if you don?t know what to say. Get them to tell you about themselves and their business, and what kind of documentation problems they have.
Answer their questions, don?t do an info-dump. They want to know if you can solve their problems ? display your wares and skills to show this. Make little signs to title your display in terms of problems solved or questions answered: Document Large Complex Systems? Web Sites that Work ? etc. Use a piece of paper or cardboard folded to stand up at the top of the display: /\.
If you don?t have twenty years of experience, or if it?s all classified, highlight what you do have. Now is the time to generate samples of what you can do. Find an example of the kind of stuff you can do that isn?t very good, and re-work it. Use the before and after pages to show that you know the process. You can use paste-on callouts to show what you changed. Even a few pages can be very effective.
Dress up, just a bit. Look in the mirror ? is this person a professional? True, this is Boulder, and clean blue jeans might work, but if you dress as if for an interview, you?ll be okay.
Have a bottle of water with you, and maybe some hard candy. You?ll be talking a lot.
Bring along scissors, tape, pins, extra paper, pens, etc. so that when something falls apart or doesn?t set up right, you can fix it. Or if you get a last-minute brilliant idea, you can implement it.
Buddy up. Take turns with a neighbor to make sure you get around to see the other displays. Steal from the best! Next year your table will be even better.
Relax and enjoy it. An evening without disasters is officially a success.
Please send suggestions for improving this handout to mikim @ ieee.org
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