The Festival of Careers is a programme of virtual online events created to connect you with employers and to help you to develop your skills and thoughts about the future. The autumn season of the Festival runs from the 28th of September until the 13th of November with a packed schedule of webinars, workshops and interactive sessions.
Festival format…
Careers Fairs – Autumn Fair (many different sectors), STEM and Law Fairs
*See our tips below on how to make the most of the Careers Fairs
Employer presentations give you the opportunity to hear from contacts within specific organisations about their industry, their organisation and what they have to offer. Delivered virtually, all presentations are advertised on My Advantage where you will be able to join each event following the links provided.
The Skills Tent provides access to a wealth of expertise, support and resources to assist you as you explore your career options. You can access careers workshops and webinars. From creating a CV to successfully preparing for an assessment centre there’s something for everyone.
A series of drop-in sessions where you can meet informally with employers.
Connect with employers across the Business, Finance and Consultancy Sector. The Boardroom hosts our virtual webinar programme for employers with these industry areas and our Virtual Investment Bank where you will be able to hear from alumni and speakers in the industry and access careers resources to help you better understand this career path.
Information, resources and events featuring a broad range of organisations looking to attract students from these disciplines
Provides further opportunities to engage with Law Firms, course providers and professional bodies.
The Creative Stage brings to life a wide range of career options in fields including Publishing, Marketing, Curating and Arts Administration
The Alternative Stage focuses on sectors including Charitable and Not-for-Profit,Health and Social Care and Education, Sustainability, Environment, Government and the Public Sector
The International Stage brings together resources and opportunities for students seeking opportunities overseas
*How to make the most of Careers Fairs
Take the following steps to ensure you make the best use of the Careers Fairs. Invest time and energy on events that are directly of interest to you and enable you to present yourself with confidence to recruiters in order to create a good impression.
For Careers Fairs…download the Careers Fair Plus App
Follow these simple steps to ensure you’re prepped for success at your upcoming virtual fair
- Visit app.careerfairplus.com and find your university
- Select the fair you are attending
- Browse the list of employers
- Click on a schedule that interests you
- Select the time you’d like to book a meeting for
- Log in or create an account to book the meeting
You’ll be able to impress much more easily if you find out who is coming to a careers fair in advance, leaving yourself time to do research into organisations that interest you. You can find out which sectors are covered, which recruiters will be there and. You can also check which recruiters want to meet you by selecting your degree discipline and year group. Deciding beforehand who you’d like to hear from or meet will save you a lot of time on the day.
FACT: Did you know that 80% of Graduate recruiters don’t mind what degree you are studying?
Research your priority employers…
Pick up to five employers that interest you and check out their websites. Follow them on LinkedIn or other social media to find out what initiatives they are working on. Are they expanding into new areas or merging with a competitor? How has COVID impacted on their company? You’ll then find it easier to ask intelligent questions. On the day of the fair, if you’ve done your preparation you’ll have a better idea of which employers you want to make a bee-line for.
Make notes…
Once you’ve had a good conversation with an employer, write down some notes so you can recall the conversation easily and make reference to this in your application/s.
Follow up with employers…
If you are given an e business card by an employer, do make sure that you send them an e-mail to thank them for their time. Employers have told us that they are surprised by how many students fail to follow up, despite them giving cards to them – and encouraging them to make contact!
Remember- all events are bookable through MyAdvantage
We look forward to seeing you soon!
The Careers Blog 