How to prepare

This year's fairs are in-person events on campus. You'll get much more out of the recruitment fairs (and make a great impression!) if you prepare in advance:

• Check who is coming - read the exhibitor details in Handshake and identify which companies interest you the most
• Research companies' websites so you can talk with their representatives about what interests you and ask relevant questions
• Think about the questions you'd like to ask in a 1:1 or group session, possibly including
  
  • roles available
  • the recruitment process
  • skills, experience and qualities sought
  • career development, training and qualifications you might study for
  • company ethos
• Think about yourself, your skills and what interests you so you can answer employers' questions about
  
  • what attracts you to a particular role
  • your relevant skills and experience
  • what you know about the sector/industry
• Update your profile in Handshake to reflect your experience and interests; add your CV in your documents and make it public to employers. (Make use of our CV resources and CareerSet first!)
• Look at our Networking page for tips on talking to employers

If you'd like to chat with one of the Careers and Placements team before the fair, come to a drop-in (11am - 1pm, Mon - Fri in term-time) or send us a question via Handshake.

Are grad schemes for you? Wednesday 5 October, 6pm - find out about graduate schemes and the wide range of jobs open to you.

Visa Options

If you hope to stay on to work in the UK after your degree or Masters, please read the information on our pages for international students (Working after studies section). We recommend you read this information before the fair. Your main options will be the Graduate Route visa, which does not require employer sponsorship, or a points based Skilled Worker Visa if the employer is prepared to sponsor for graduate roles.

Think about what you can offer a UK employer, your strengths and motivation: as well as skills acquired through your course, you might bring cultural knowledge and awareness, language skills, understanding of global markets…

Talking to employers

Be aware that asking about salary and visa sponsorship is not the best way to start a conversation with an employer at the fair! They want to hear something about your skills, experience and enthusiasm, and to see that you have a genuine interest in their organisation. You could say something like:  I am studying International Management here, and am really interested in opportunities in xxxx – could you tell me a bit more about the xxxx programme on your website?  Ask questions about the company’s values and culture, projects and training.  Some of the people on the stand are probably recent graduates so ask them about their experience of the graduate training scheme.

Think about what you can offer, your strengths and motivation: as well as skills acquired through your course, you might bring cultural knowledge and awareness, language skills, understanding of global markets…

The employer representatives at the fair are unlikely to be immigration experts and are probably not the best people to talk to about visa sponsorship.  So do your research, decide which companies you are most interested in (see the section above, Prepare for the fair) and leave questions about visas and sponsorship until later in the recruitment process (interview or job offer).

Remember that many of the organisations attending this fair are recruiting to a range of roles and will have vacancies for students from different subject disciplines.

Full list of exhibitors at the Grad Jobs and Placements Fairs