Our Autumn Careers Fair is taking place on Thursday 20th and Friday 21st October which is fast approaching. For some this may well be your first ever careers fair while for others this may be a very different experience to the job fairs in your home country. So here's some advice to help you make the most of this opportunity to meet a broad range of employers.
- Each exhibiting organisation has a stand with representatives from the business and they are there to answer your questions. Some employers will be available to talk to you on both days, where as some will only be there on one of the days. Do have a look at the fair guide and make a list of the employers you'd like to speak with. Make sure you turn up on the right day for your preferred employers.
- In the UK employers will not offer jobs at a careers fair so you will be using this event to network and learn about the organisation, the sector and available opportunities.If you want ideas on what to ask, check out our blog post on good questions to ask at a careers fair. If you are nervous about starting a conversation, try a bit of practice! Come to the Careers Service stand and talk to us first, this way when you approach employers you are interested in you'll feel confident in yourself. Tracey Wells, our Head of Service says"Wherever possible, try to talk to someone on the stand instead of just picking up a brochure or a free toy; you never know a 5-minute conversation could lead to your dream job"
- Before you arrive print out the floor plan and mark up who you definitely want to talk to. Saiyada Fazal, one of our Careers Advisers, says "Even if you have a 'hit list' of employers you want to talk to - keep an open mind and talk to representatives from other organisations as well. An open mind can open up possibilities."
- Ghislaine Dell, Careers Adviser says "Avoid walking round the fair with a group of friends. This is an opportunity for you to network and make an impression with a potential employer which you can only do on your own."
- Check out our new screencast resources to help you with the Careers Fair: Networking with employers and making the most of careers events and Make the most of the careers fair.
- Finally, if you feel that the employers who are attending are not in areas of work you are interested in do not despair. It is worth noting that over half the employers are looking for students with no specific degree discipline. There are also many areas of work that do not typically use Careers Fairs as a way of raising their profile. The Careers Service team can help you with identifying how to search for these opportunities so either stop by our stand at the Careers Fair or pop into the Careers Service office to ask for help prior to the big days.
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