Name Recognition

• Recruiters may meet dozens or even hundreds of candidates during a job fair. Even if your interview went well, your name could still easily blend in with those of the other candidates. Following up shortly after the interview can enhance your name recognition and help distinguish you from the other candidates. When it's time for the recruiter to go back and review the applicants, she'll be more likely to remember you.
  
  

Expressing Interest

• Following up shows the interviewer that you are genuinely interested in further pursuing the opportunity with the company. If you made a favorable impression during your job fair meeting, the interviewer may quickly respond to your follow-up inquiry to arrange a more formal interview, especially if he didn't meet many qualified candidates at the fair. The interviewer may feel that he needs to move quickly before you have a chance to pursue your other fair contacts.
  
  

You'll Be the Exception

• According to career coach Mary Jeanne Vincent, 95 percent of job candidates never bother to follow up after a job fair meeting, choosing to wait for the interviewer to call them instead. Taking the initiative to follow up is a good way to make a favorable impression on the interviewer and set you apart from the other candidates. Busy job fairs often result in rushed interviews, so setting the stage during the fair meeting for a more in-depth conversation by attempting to arrange a time when you can call the interviewer later can also demonstrate initiative.
  
  

Providing Additional Information

• Due to the high volume of companies that may be present at a job fair, you may not have the opportunity to conduct adequate research on each one in advance. For each position you wish to pursue, find out more about the company and send an email to the interviewer shortly after the job fair meeting. Explain how your qualifications can benefit the company and its overall mission. You can also include additional pertinent facts about yourself you didn't disclose at the fair meeting.