Getting the most out of the Careers Fair
The Careers Centre is hosting one Careers Fair this year, giving you the opportunity to reach as many employers as possible from the sectors that interest you. You might have a career path in mind, or you might not. Either way, this event is for you!
The Careers Fair will take place on Wednesday 29th September from 11:00 to 14:30, and will be held online, using Hopin. You can sign-up now on CareerConnect, and get help with using Hopin from its attendee experience demo.
During the fair, you will have the chance to chat with employers about what opportunities are available, find out what working for them is really like and ask questions either on camera or in the chat box. The fair is a great way of growing your network and building your confidence, even if this is your first year at St Andrews.
Employers that will be attending include:
- BNY Mellon
- Deutsche Bank
- Aldi
- The University of Law
- Latham & Watkins
- TPP
- NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme
- Plus many more…
Top tips for making the most of your time at the Careers Fair
Do your research
Before coming to the Careers Fair, you can look at the scheduled list of employers and decide which ones you would like to engage with. You can then research the employer beforehand to ensure you understand their organisation. You can do this by having a look on their website, by checking any recent news about them, and by looking at their social media activity (including on LinkedIn).
Reflect on your experiences
Take some time to reflect on your experiences so far so that you can confidently engage in a conversation with an employer. Think about both academic and extracurricular achievements. You might wish to introduce yourself, talk about your experiences and tell the employer why you are attending the Careers Fair.
Prepare some questions (and answers!)
Coming to the Careers Fair is a good start, but preparing some questions for employers in advance will help you get the most out of the day.
Some good questions include:
- What is a typical day like for the employee?
- What has been the most unexpected thing about joining the company?
- What are the challenges facing the organisation at the moment?
- What are the skills they would like graduates to have?
- What are the common misconceptions about working in the company?
You should also prepare some answers to questions employers might have for you. This might include questions like:
- What do you know about us?
- What interests you about working for us?
- What attracts you to a career in this industry?
- What skills and qualities do you think would be important for this role and at our company?
Remember to complete your Hopin profile as fully as possible. All employers will have access to the chat after the session , so they can look at who’s engaged and how.
Prepare for the fair sessions
For further advice on making the most out of your time at the Careers Fair, come along to the Prepare for the Fair session with our Careers Advisers, who will help you with asking the right questions and making the most of your time. You can sign up to one of two sessions, either on the 23rd or 27th September.