Careers Fairs – Maximising your investment

By Caroline Kennedy

Published 9 November 2009 

Careers Fairs are an excellent recruitment tool providing organisations with the opportunity to screen huge numbers of potential applicants in just one day whilst also marketing the organisation to a highly relevant target market.

In Ireland, third level careers fairs are held both on campus in Colleges and Universities and in the RDS.   On the East Coast 10 Colleges have joined forces to produce the gradireland Graduate Careers Fair (http://graduatecareersfair.com/) .   Other Colleges host careers fairs on their own campus – some for all disciplines others such as the Queens University Belfast Law Fair and the University of Limerick Teaching Fair are discipline specific.   A full list of careers fairs on the island of Ireland can be found at http://gradireland.com/events/default.aspx.

Success at a careers fair is not guaranteed or automatic. Ensuring the maximum return on your investment requires research and preparation.

Below are some tips on how to ensure your participation in a career fair successful.

1. Know who will be attending – To ensure you are fully prepared make sure you know the number of students that generally attend, their backgrounds, the range of disciplines they study. This information can be obtained from the careers service or organisers office depending on the venue.   Key questions to ask when researching attendees include:

• What areas am I recruiting for?
• Does this fair attract students with a relevant background?
• What competitors are attending?
• Will faculty be in attendance?

2. Promotional material:

• Brochures: Ensure you have enough brochures, but brochures are not enough on their own.   Use them to draw students to the stand, to initiate a conversation but a students’ perception of the company will be based on their meeting with company representatives and not just a brochure.
• Give aways: Giveaways can be of little value to students however they do assist with name recognition and recall.    If you are distributing them consider using items that students may buy on their own e.g.  reusable shopping bags, miniature flashlights, USB keys and water bottles.

3. Use your alumni: If attending an on campus careers fair bring your alumni with you. If attending a group fair bring recent graduates. Recent graduates and alumni are great advertisements and students love to hear what they have to say, how they have adapted and progressed within the company.   Whilst preparing for an on campus fair ask the attending alumni to prepare a testimonial you can then give to the careers office.

4. What if you are not recruiting? All reports emphasise the importance of maintaining a presence on campus even in the midst of a recruitment freeze.  Once at the fair be honest about your recruitment situation but highlight future opportunities, internships opportunities and work placement programmes etc.   

5. Reflect Organizational Diversity: Colleges and universities are rich in diversity – ensure your graduate recruitment team reflects the diversity within your organisation.

6. Staffing and setting up your booth:
• Numbers peak and trough throughout the day, contact the fair organiser to check the peak times so as that you design an appropriate shift schedule. Make sure you stay until the end.
• Choose the staff you bring carefully
• They will represent your company and create a first impression for students.
• Students like to talk to representatives from the areas you are recruiting for, someone who can answer the technical questions, give an accurate representation of what the role involves, likely career path etc
• Don’t use the table as a barrier between you and the students. A recruiter that is standing is more welcoming than one sitting.

7. Preparing staff:
• Booth staff will need a comprehensive knowledge of your corporate image and the graduate roles/ work experience opportunities you want promoted at the fair.
• Whilst some students are very confident and assertive others may be nervous about starting a conversation.   Don’t wait for students to initiate contact– approach passers by with friendly open ended questions. 
• Do you have a recruitment newsletter students can sign up to?
• Prepare staff on how to respond to students who do not fit your recruitment needs.
• Are there on site interview booths where staff can conduct screening interviews?
• Ensure staff secure the contact details of students that meet the recruitment requirements.
• Provide staff with business cards they can distribute to appropriate students.

8. Questions to expect:
• What graduate or work experience opportunities exist within your company?
• How many graduates/ work experience students do you recruit?
• What areas do you recruit for?
• What disciplines do you recruit from?
• What can you offer students who have not studied in the traditional areas you recruit?
• What advice would you offer a student looking to be successful in the process?
• Does your company hire on a continual basis or just at certain times of the year?
• How long does the recruitment process take?
• What is involved in the process? 
• What percent of applicants are hired?
• What Colleges/Universities do you traditionally recruit from?
• What type of work experience do you favour?
• What skills/grades are required?
• What are your thoughts on students interested in pursuing a Masters?
• What can you offer postgraduate students?
• What is the organisational culture like?
• What salary and benefits are offered?
• What career paths exist for graduates?
• How long do graduates typically stay with the company?
• What training and development is in place for graduates?

9. Getting involved on the day:   There may be other opportunities to promote your brand at the fair.   Opportunities can include delivering presentations on interview skills, application forms or taking part in a CV clinic.  Over the past number of years a number of careers services have used the opportunity to video employers at the fair. Contact the organisers to see what opportunities exist.

10. Maximise networking opportunities.   Make your time at the fair as productive as possible.   If it is on campus arrange to meet careers officers and appropriate faculty. There may be a pre or post fair employer reception with networking opportunities built into the day.

11. After the Fair:
• Decide your follow-up strategy, prior to the fair.
• Once you have generated a pool of candidates ensure you keep them interested.
• Follow up with the candidates you have generated ASAP - If you don't call those hard-earned candidates, your competitors probably will
• Your post fair evaluation will include analyzing
• Do your post-show evaluation:
o Did you get the number of visitors you were expecting?
o Did you generate enough qualified candidates?
o What was the feedback on your brochure?
o Did your display do its job?
o How did you compare with competitors?
o Were you properly staffed?
o What can you do better next time?

For a full list of Careers Services in Ireland together with their contact details visit www.graduatecareersireland.com

Caroline Kennedy is the Communications Officer for Graduate Careers Ireland - the representative body for Careers Services in higher education in Ireland, north and south and is the Careers and Opportunities Officer at National College of Ireland