Graduate Careers Fairs

Graduate Careers Fairs are quite an unusual event, why do students go there? Is to collect all the freebies or do you want to genuinely know what's on offer?

Having worked in recruitment at numerous firms and having attended these events I thought it would be a good idea to give you some insightful information about these events and how to make the most of them.

Do's

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• If you have researched into a particular firm/company and would like to meet the staff and ask some questions go an meet the team. If you are lucky you will get to meet some really good people who will be able to help you.

• If you are currently in the process with that particular company, go an speak to them at the fair and press them for information.

• Be prepared and feel free to have questions ready for them and this looks really good on your part.

• Follow their advice, there is a good reason why they are here to help and listen to what they have to say (feel free to take notes!)

Don't

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• Walk up to them and ask them what they do as a firm! Yes this a great opportunity to find out what they do but it's difficult for most employers to sum it up in 2 minutes.

• Be rude to them, you are speaking to a prospective employer and first impressions count.

• Ask them what opportunites they have without having done some research yourself. Any student who wants to come across as being employable should have some basic idea as to what they want do.

• Approach the wrong firm/company, yes opportunities in companies vary but you wouldn't approach a Big4 for possible vacancies in civil engineering!! Again, do your research.

• Sell yourself, some of you may be thinking why am I saying this! Well the graduate fair is not an interview!! We dont need to know if you have a PhD or climbed mount everest! We are here to help you to find out what you are looking for and answer some of your questions.

I hope these hints and tips will help you all get the best out of careers fairs because I think they can be quite useful as long as you are prepared before hand.

Before you go to a fair look at their careers website, do you want to work there? Is this the right place for you? Do you meet their academic requirements?

Alternatively if you are there just for the freebies then what I have written doesnt apply!