Are you thinking about attending a careers fair or job fair? Aside from being free, there are many positive reasons to put aside time to do some preparation to make a potential success out of attending a careers event. Find out more below...
The job market is constantly changing and so it is important that any opportunity to engage with potential employers, is time that is used effectively for maximum impact. The ability to network with potential employers is crucial at a job event and it goes without saying that you must be polite, friendly and professional. Always have in the back of your mind that employers will always want to employ people that they want to work alongside! If you can engage with potential employers impromptu at a careers event, that bodes well for them to want to commit further, interview you and ultimately employ you.
Prepare some answers to basic interview type questions. It is possible that potential recruiters will do an impromptu ‘on-the-spot’ interview if they like what they see on your CV. A careers fair is the perfect environment to chat ‘jobs’ in an informal discussion. Chatting in a more relaxed way can enable an employer to see more of the ‘real you’ as you are likely to be marginally less nervous than a full-blown formal interview situation.
Gaining the ability to quickly build rapport with employers is a valuable skill. A careers/job fair is a cost-effective environment for employers to meet a large number of potential applicants in a short time. Attending a careers event with a large number of employers and applicants can prove extremely useful as to sussing out the competition. Take notice of how other applicants are dressed – you should always attend this type of event as if it were an interview. Observe the body language of applicants who are actively engaged with employers. Chances are, they are ‘walking tall’, maintaining eye contact and smiling!
Whilst not the confines of a formal interview environment, nerves at this type of event are perfectly understandable. However, remember that everyone is trying to secure the same thing – a job! A smile, all-important eye contact and the ability to confidently explain your skills and aptitude could be the difference between lack of success and securing that prized offer of an interview.
Our careers fair provides an opportunity for new and existing students to interact with potential employers in their desired field and/or industry. One of our most popular career sectors is teaching and education; if you're looking to become a successful teacher or teaching assistant, read more about our teacher training courses here.
Another popular industry is the sport, fitness & leisure industry. We have a range of sport, fitness & leisure study programmes which can help students kick-start their career in the sports sector.
