Some candidates at Careers Fairs are actively looking for work. Others are still considering their options for the future. Our tips for attracting students and graduates will ensure that you are ready to engage with as many qualified candidates as possible.

Be Selective About Which Careers Fairs You Attend

Different types of groups tend to organise Career Fairs. For instance, they can be run by Jobcentre Plus, a University or College, or even a local Member of Parliament. The group running the jobs fair will directly affect the demographic of the people likely to attend

For a college or university, it is likely to be predominantly or exclusively their own students or graduates who attend. However, if it is run by Jobcentre Plus, it is likely to have a lower concentration of students and graduates. The majority of attendees will be people who have been unemployed for a longer period of time. Therefore, if you are targeting students and graduates, it doesn’t make as much sense to allocate your recruitment resources there.

Careers Fair Basics

It is important to decide before attending what you would like to achieve at the Careers Fair. Are you looking to increase awareness of your company amongst the particular demographic attending? In that case, some promotional materials, such as branded pens or webcam covers, would be a great way to keep your company in their thoughts.

Are you looking to identify potential new recruits who can start working with you soon? If you are, then the onus is on you to sell the company to the attendees in the most impressive way possible. Ensuring the company ethos is up to scratch and has a clear equity, diversity, and inclusion policy can help to entice diverse students and graduates.

If you go into the Careers Fair without sufficient focus and direction, it can be harder to measure what a “successful” Careers Fair looks like from your company’s perspective.

Preparing for a Careers Fair

  • Choosing Your Team

    Recruiters and human resources staff are usually the best people to present your business in a good light at Careers Fairs. They should initiate discussions with potential recruitment candidates and answer any questions the candidates may have. Newer employees can also be good to have on hand. They can explain why they joined your company and the incentives that enticed them.

    If your company is attending a Careers Fair at a university, be sure to send members of staff that are alumni. This will provide interested students with a relatable talking point. Moreover, students will tend to relate to people closer to their own age. Therefore, younger members of staff who reflect your company’s diverse and inclusive culture will do particularly well in this environment.

    If all members of the team are from one demographic, it can be off-putting to younger people. They may assume the lack of diversity they are seeing reflects the company as a whole.

  • Know Your Target Audience

    Ensure that the team members representing your business are aware of the roles you have available and the type of people you are looking to recruit. They should focus as much as possible on talking to people who fit this criteria.

    Current students will be looking for opportunities one or two years down the line, internships or summer jobs. Conversely, graduates will most likely be looking for roles starting in the near future.

  • Create an Exciting and Engaging Stall

    An eye-catching stall may be a factor in ensuring your company stands out and attracts potential candidates. This is especially the case if there is competition from similar companies at the Careers Fair.

    Your stall should contain all the necessary information for potential recruitment candidates, without becoming overwhelming. Unsurprisingly, this can sometimes seem like a balancing act to achieve so be prepared to modify your stall as necessary.

    Freebies are never out of fashion and branded pens are always a draw for students. For the relatively small cost of branded merchandise like pens, it is a good investment and one that could be a talking point that entices attendees to your stall. Handing out sweets can also draw in people who had maybe been a bit wary to engage. After all, offering sweets to someone is an easy, low-pressure conversation opener.

  • Print Promotional Materials to Hand Out

    Providing attendees with printed material can be the difference between being remembered and not. When there is so much going on inside a busy Careers Fair, it is easy for attendees to get lost among the crowd of stalls and noise. Students can read leaflets and brochures later when they are relaxed and more likely to take in information.

    Another excellent form of advertising for your company is printed material. It will help potential candidates become more familiar with your business and ensure you are remembered after the Fair has ended.

    It is important to ensure that all promotional materials are up to date. This also means including contact details, information regarding available positions, and how to apply for them.

    A note of caution about printed promotional materials, however; some people just want to be able to browse the stalls at their leisure without being handed something at every stall. So, be conscious of how intensively you are handing out materials.

    The best approach may be to allow people to come to you and ask, rather than trying to persuade everyone to take one. Interested people who ask for materials are far more likely prospects than people who are annoyed at what they see as being “harassed”.

  • Decide If You’re Accepting Applications

    Many students and graduates will be interested in securing employment in the near term. As such, be prepared for questions from interested job seekers about whether you are currently taking applications. When this happens, explain to them what format works best and who is the best person to direct their query toward. Ensure that your entire team is on the same page from the get-go so there’s no conflicting information being passed around.

    If you are actively hiring, you should ensure that you are ready to accept CVs on the day or to direct interested applicants towards an online recruitment process.

During the Careers Fair

  • Be Inviting, Friendly and Welcoming

    The whole concept of Careers Fairs can intimidate job seekers, especially younger ones. With this in mind, try to ensure your team is friendly and sociable. Providing name tags for your team members will also help attendees feel more comfortable approaching your stall and initiating discussions.

  • Ask Questions

    Careers Fairs are an excellent opportunity for job seekers to search for the employers that are of the most interest. They also act as an initial screening process for your business prior to the formal application. Ask questions about potential candidates’ backgrounds and studies, and emphasise that your company is a diverse and equal opportunities employer. Try to put the student or graduate at ease and ask the questions in as natural and friendly a way as possible. Remember that Careers Fairs can be intimidating places for many students and graduates.

    Ensure you have questions prepared to ask potential candidates. And for those that impress you, don’t forget to note down their contact details. Let them know that you will be back in touch soon and follow up within the coming days.

  • Speak to as Many People as Possible

    The main advantage of a Careers Fair is access to a considerable number of talented and qualified individuals. Be sure to utilise this and increase your chances of finding the right candidates by speaking to as many people as possible.

    Remember not to judge everyone on their social skills. Some of the quieter people who avoid eye contact may be incredibly capable in their field, but social situations might not be their forté. Allow for this and don’t only take an interest in those who have already honed their social skills.

  • Provide Contact Information

    Be sure that you provide those who you think may be decent prospects with your contact information so that you can follow up with them after the event.

    Log and respond to enquiries as soon as possible if they get in touch. It is important that potential employees aren’t put off by a perceived tardiness in response times. In this day and age, response times are critical as many people expect to hear back within one hour.

Next Steps

We hope you have benefited from our tips for attracting students and graduate at Careers Fairs. If you have made it this far, consider reading our other article on a similar theme which is also aimed at employers: Why Attend a Careers Fair? 

We also have a dedicated employer services and resources page where you can buy credits to post your vacancy on our market-leading jobs board. This is an excellent way of putting your advert in front of qualified leads who meet your target demographic.

You can contact us if you have any further questions or join the free Developing a Student email newsletter below for all the latest news and opportunities.