Our Get Hired careers fair is happening on Wednesday 1 May, 12:30 pm to 4 pm, at Bristol Beacon
It’s a great opportunity to network with employers of all sizes across a variety of sectors, with lots of other activities going on on the day.
To find out more, and book your place, visit the event on mycareer.
If you are disabled, neurodivergent or have a long-term physical or mental health condition, we are here to make Get Hired as accessible as we can for you. Complete this form by Thursday 18 April and we can build a support package for you. Watch our Accessibility Arrangements at Careers Fairs video to learn about arrangements we can put in place to help you access the fair.
To help you make the most of the day, we have pulled together our top tips on how to prepare for the fair…
1 – Download and use the Career Fair Plus app to plan who to see
With so many fantastic employers in attendance, it can be hard to work out who you want to speak to first.
To help – download the Career Fair Plus app and use the filter function to identify your priority employers.
For example, you can filter by the sector(s) you are most interested in, or whether employers have graduate roles or work experience opportunities available. This will help you prioritise where you want to spend your time.
Even if you have a ‘hit list’ of companies you’re interested in, don’t discount those less well-known and not typically associated with your sector of interest; they might be offering just what you’re looking for. You can always create a high/medium/low priority target list.
2 – Research employers
Once you’ve decided who you want to speak to, do some research on them beforehand. This will help your conversations go smoother and help you to demonstrate your interest in the company.
Start by familiarising yourself with your priority employers’ graduate recruitment websites, as well as following their pages on social media to keep up to date with news and recruitment.
Top tip: Don’t forget you can use mycareer to search organisations.
3 – Work out your first few questions
Plan out a few questions to get your conversations with employers started. Think about what is it that you want to know; Details about roles? Skills needed? Travel opportunities? Training and development opportunities?
Questions that build on knowledge you have already gained of the company through your research always make a good impression and demonstrate genuine interest.
Watch our “Good questions to ask at careers fairs Instagram reel.
Here are a few good questions to get you started:
- Can you tell me some typical activities that a graduate in your company is involved with?
- What sort of experience do you value?
- How would you describe the culture at your organisation?
- Can you tell me more about what you like to see on a CV so that I can target my application?
- How do you see jobs in the sector changing in the future?
- What do you think helped you get your job?
- What is the best/least favourite part of your job?
- What skills/qualities do you particularly look for?
- Is there anything you wish you had known before you started at X?
- What were the particular challenges you faced during your first year? (for recent graduates on the stand)
4 – Make a good impression
The people on the stand could be a mixture of people from the recruitment team, recent graduates, and potentially your future line manager or interviewer so it pays to be enthusiastic and polite and make a good impression.
Collect contact details and follow up afterwards (business card for a follow-up email or ask to connect on LinkedIn). This is an opportunity to thank them for the specific information they shared, reiterate your interest and share the next steps you intend to take.
5. Make the most of the support available at the fair
The Careers Service will be on the ground floor of Bristol Beacon to offer support and advice before heading up to meet employers.
We will also be running bite-size careers talks, and hosting employer panels (keep an eye on the Get Hired event page for booking information).
If you are graduating in 2024 there will be a dedicated BristolGrad drop-in area where you can chat with us about your career ideas and next steps after your studies, get advice about seeking graduate opportunities and receive top tips for improving your applications.
And don’t forget…
We are once again offering FREE professional headshots for your LinkedIn profile.
This means you can give your profile a glow-up before reaching out to all the new connections you have made at the fair.
See you there!