A useful and practical method of student and graduate recruitment is to attend a careers fair. Not only are you able to meet face-to-face with prospective talent, but you’re also building brand awareness.

Benefits of Careers Fairs for Employers

As employers, there are many benefits to attending careers fairs. We take a look at the main advantages below:

Gain Access to a Large Number of Candidates

There are numerous reasons why it is advantageous for employers to participate in a careers fair. But, perhaps the main benefit is the opportunity to gain access to a large number of candidates in one place over a short period of time.

Often described as speed dating for recruiting, attending a careers fair will give your company the chance to meet and engage with hundreds of students and graduates. The vast majority of this fresh talent pool are actively seeking employment. Therefore, this method of recruitment is both cost and time-effective for your business.

Check out our page on Tips for attracting students and graduates at a careers fair for everything your business needs to know. And if you’d more information on the benefits of employing a graduate, have a look at our dedicated page.

Increase Brand Awareness

When employers decide to attend a careers fair, they are helping to increase brand awareness. At a careers fair, your business has the chance to encourage talented students to consider you as a potential employer. The main reason students attend a careers fair is to research the companies and organisations that appeal to them. As such, the opportunity for face-to-face interactions with job seekers allows you to promote your business in a friendly and engaging way.

Before the event, the host organisation will most often advertise your company name, logo, and website through marketing material. This material will include fliers, email and their website. For events hosted by universities, this will mean your business is advertised to tens of thousands of students and recent graduates. Increasing brand awareness amongst university students will help your business gain interest and applications from qualified and talented individuals.

On top of that, the opportunity to increase brand awareness is a huge motivator for smaller companies and businesses to participate. This is a unique chance to get your company name alongside the larger corporations and more regular attendees.

Find out more about how to attract graduates to your business.

Meet a Wide Variety of Candidates

Careers fairs also provide employers with the opportunity to connect with less traditional candidates. By meeting potential candidates in person, your team members have a chance to discuss individuals’ experiences, talents, and competencies. In doing so, they may uncover talented graduates that would usually slip through the net.

Most businesses have a firm idea of the talent profile they are seeking for a particular role. However, the chance to speak to a variety of candidates helps your business find individuals with less conventional qualifications.

For instance, candidates with a degree in a field directly related to your industry, such as business management, might be the obvious choice. However, graduates with degrees that seem less relevant for the role, such as art or design students, could possess valuable and diverse skill sets.

Want to find out more about diversity and recruitment? Have a read of our page on How to have a more diversity-friendly hiring process.

Great Opportunity to Network

Without a doubt, employers who attend a careers fair have an excellent chance to meet and network with other companies in a wide array of industries. Your team members will enjoy and benefit from the opportunity to meet face to face with other professionals in their field, and in a variety of industries.

Networking with other professionals could help your business learn from and understand the incentives other companies offer to prospective candidates. Gaining a better understanding will help direct strategies to entice students and graduates towards your business and away from your competitors.

 

Interested in finding out more? Developing a Student is packed with help and advice for employers. Be sure to check out our services page for information on advertising on our specialist Graduate and Student jobs board, creating a company profile, and more.

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