Preparing for the Virtual Careers Fair

Our Virtual Careers Fair is fast approaching!

We hope you have all downloaded the Careers Fair Plus App as you need it to take part. The app lets you browse employers, go to their drop-ins, watch webinars and book one to ones. 

Hopefully you are already signing up for the one to one sessions with employers – you need to do this before the day of the fair if possible.

Once your sessions are booked, think what you would like to find out. Research employers in advance so you aren’t asking questions they have already covered. Remember the employers want to help you gain insights to see if they might be a ‘good fit’ for you.

You have just 10 minutes to talk to them and they’ll stick to that time to be fair to everyone, make sure you come to the conversations prepared.

Top Tips

Here are some top tips to help you:

• Prepare some questions (see our suggestions below).
• Keep in mind the employers are here to help.
• Always be professional in what you ask.
• Don’t ask anything too personal, be over familiar, or put the employer in an awkward position.
• No jobs are offered on the day, even though you have contacted them you still need to go through the recruitment process.
• It’s not generally a good idea to ask about salary and other benefits at this stage. That information will be on the company website and if not should be made clear in the application process.

Questions

See the questions below as a starting point. We encourage you to reword them so everyone isn’t saying exactly the same thing.

A natural conversation should develop based on what the employer tells you, and new questions should follow. These questions are primarily there to give you some starting ideas, in case you suddenly run out of things to say.

So without any further ado here are some ideas for questions:

• The role and training/development 
  • What does someone in this role do on a typical day?
  • What training is on offer and how is it delivered?
  • What would I be doing in the first few months/first year?
  • What are the opportunities for longer term growth and development?
• Application and hiring process 
  • What are the key stages within the hiring process?
  • What effect has Covid-19 had on this process?
• Their experience 
  • What do they enjoy in their role?
  • What are the key challenges?
• Company culture 
  • Use of social media to promote their work
  • Use of technology (especially at present)
  • None of us know what will happen in the coming months with work patterns but you can ask if you would be working remotely.
  • Bear in mind they may not be able to tell you at this stage. But you can ask how the current employees are working at present.

If after the Careers Fair you would like to discuss what you have discovered and how this might affect your plans, or get some support with your next steps, you can book an appointment to speak to one of our advisers – careers@brighton.ac.uk 

While you’re at it, make sure you make the most of the other events taking place during Brighton Works Week!