Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published in July 2018 and has since been modified to include updated research and career fair giveaways.
For the past 15 years, 90 to 95% of colleges have hosted a career fair for job-seeking students. Each one is attended by around 1,400 students. That’s a lot of potential resumes, meetings and interviews. When it comes to attracting attention, organizing fun career fair booth games with the best career fair giveaways as prizes can help you pull job seekers to your table, giving you face time to find the best employees for your company.
Face-to-face meetings can provide quite a bit of value to career fair attendees. On the same note, those meetings are the reason vendors attend career fairs as well. Every connection brings companies one step closer to finding the perfect employee to fill their needs.
In order to get those face-to-face meetings, you first need to get attendees to stop at your booth. So what are some of the best ways to draw people to your table?
- Social media: Around 79% of job-seekers will likely use social media to find a job, so make the most of social media. Post all the details of the next job fair you attend so potential employees know where to find you.
- Friendly faces: Remember to smile—and keep distractions like phones out of sight.
- Color: Use colors to enhance your booth, grab attention and show off your brand. Make sure the colors reflect your brand, whether it’s subdued or high-energy.
Make the most of your time spent recruiting with these tips and career fair giveaway ideas.
A flashy game with techy career fair giveaways
We live in an increasingly tech-savvy world, one where 97% of Americans own a smartphone. So regardless of whether your job hunters are college students hunting for their first job, or people with decades of employment under their belts, they’ll likely appreciate promotional tech items.
To add a little extra “color” to your booth, use the Full-Color Prize Drop. Portable and lightweight, this game will help draw the crowds to your booth. Award winners a Smartphone USB Swing Drive that connects directly to phones or computers, making it easy to transfer files from one source to another.
The Flash Power Bank Keychain is another popular prize. It attaches easily to their keys, ensuring a power source (and your brand) is always in easy reach. The Tech Cable Organizer is the perfect budget-conscious job fair giveaway for anyone who loves tech but hates how quickly cables get tangled.
For a promo that packs a lot into a small package, try the Duo Charging Cable with Phone Stand. This device charges multiple phone products and also serves as a phone stand. Plus, it’s compact and easy to carry around for added portability.
Pinball and snacks
Nothing goes together better than snacks and games. Since most people spend hours at a job fair, offering some food can make your booth a real winner. The Push Pop Bubble Game is sure to be a draw. Once you have their attention, start a conversation about your company’s work opportunities and give them something to tempt their taste buds.
Gardetto® Snack Mix is the perfect treat to satisfy salty cravings, while Almonds pack a punch of energy. If you’re looking for a candy fix, try Assorted Swedish Fish®. It’s always a crowd favorite. And you can’t go wrong with Chocolate Sunflower Seeds. They satisfy just about any craving with a mix of salty/sweet and soft/crunchy.
Help your visitors wash it all down—and give them something to remember you—with a Fold Flat Water Bottle with Carabiner. This bottle can be folded up and tucked into a pocket or purse or filled up and hung from a bag with the carabiner.
Golf “fore” fun prizes
If your business prides itself on being a fun place to work, there’s no better way to show that off than to offer toys as your career fair giveaways. In fact, one of the top three reasons many people hold on to promotional products is because of the fun factor (PDF).
Let people try out their putting skills with a few golf balls and a mini-golf club, set up right by your table. Reward winners with a classic toy like Nutty Putty. It is a wonderful combination of fun and stress relief! It can be stretched, squeezed or bounced. The Fold-Up Flyer is a twist on a classic. It tucks away neatly into a nylon pouch, making it easy to carry around the career fair floor or tuck into a beach bag for outdoor fun.
For people who love multitasking, the Fidget Spinner Chameleon Pen combines the fidget spinner spinning with necessary writing. And if you’re looking for something more unique, go for the Walking Pet Monkey. Give this foam monkey a light shake and it walks along beside you, catching the attention of everyone nearby.
Wheeling and big prize dealing
When you want to stand out from the crowd, sometimes offering a few larger pieces of event swag can help. Put everyone who stopped at your booth into a drawing and select a winner at the end of the day. Or hold hourly trivia contests about the company and offer impressive prizes to anyone who can answer your question correctly. Don’t forget career fair booth games like the Jumbo Prize Wheel. Let people spin for a prize!
For prizes, go big. The Slope Laptop Messenger Bag is business-ready, with pockets for a laptop, important papers, pens and more.
The Koozie® Backpack Cooler Chair is a fantastic 3-in-1 career fair gift. People can keep their drinks cold, easily carry it around and unfold it for a comfy chair.
The 55-piece Tool Set has wrenches, screwdrivers, a tape measure, a level and more. Odd jobs around the house, garage and yard become fast and simple with the handy toolset they won at your booth.
Find top talent with fun games and career fair giveaways
Whether you’re using fun items or high-end promotional products to draw people in, the best career fair giveaways will help you stand out from the crowd. Using career fair booth games, you can make the job hunt more fun—and ultimately bring in talented future employees. For more recruitment giveaway ideas, check out our article “Career fair giveaways to get your company noticed.”