Getting the most out of the Careers Fair
The Careers Fair is an amazing opportunity to meet recruiters for over a hundred prestigious graduate employers, across a diverse range of sectors and industries. And to make the most of you, you will need to be prepared.
Firstly, you are strongly encouraged to book a place on the CES’ ‘Getting the most out of the Careers Fair’ session, which is typically held the day before the Fair. This session will cover a whole range of areas, and will help you go into the Careers Fair with your goals clear.
If you cannot attend that session, below are a few pieces of advice for how to prepare for the Careers Fair:
- Have a plan! Look at the list of organisations that are attending
- With over 130 employers attending, even in three hours you will not be able to speak to them all. You should do your best to identify those companies that you really want to find before you enter the Sports Hall. Head to http://www.kent.ac.uk/ces/careersfair/ for a full list of which organisations are attending – you can find out more about each company, what they are offering, and what degree programmes they are interested in recruiting from (the vast majority are interested in finding the best students regardless of your degree programme, so don’t discount the companies you assume will only want students taking technical subjects).
- Get your CV ready! Be prepared to pitch what you can offer employers
- Some companies will not be at the Careers Fair to specifically recruit students, but many will. To get the most out of the Fair, you should be ready to make the most of whatever opportunities arise through your conversations with the companies who attend. That means having copies of your CV printed and ready to give out, and knowing how to pitch yourself and what you can offer to employers. To help you with this, there are sessions throughout the Employability Festival on honing your CV and putting together your ‘elevator pitch.’ And remember that you can always take your CV along to the Careers and Employability Service’s drop-in sessions to have their training advisors look through it with you.
- Be ready to follow up!
- Every year, the CES receives feedback from employers to the effect of: ‘I was really impressed by several of your students, but I never heard from them after the event!’ Should you hit it off with an employer or recruiter at the Careers Fair, make sure to follow up with them! Get their preferred contact details (usually over email) at the Careers Fair, and think about how to follow up in a professional way.