Work, volunteering and career planning

How to prepare

Watch our Prepare for the fairs webinar from Wednesday 7 October.

This year's fair is a virtual event, so it is even more important to spend some time preparing well before the fair day. You'll be able to book to attend group sessions and even have 1:1 conversations with employers you're interested in - all without having to queue at a stand, and with no distractions. You'll get much more out of the recruitment fairs (and make a great impression!) if you prepare in advance:

• Check who is coming - find out about the exhibitors in Handshake and identify which interest you the most
• Research the firms' 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, possibly including
  
  • the recruitment process, skills, experience and qualities sought
  • career development, training and qualifications, organisation ethos
• Think about yourself, your skills and what interests you so you can answer questions about
  
  • what attracts you to working in the legal sector, and what you know about the sector
  • your relevant skills and experience
• 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 guidance and CareerSet first!)
• Look at our Networking page for tips on talking to employers, and get the employer's view from How to talk to employers at careers fairs by RateMyPlacement
  
• Read our Careers Blog: Careers fairs - what are the benefits?

If you'd like to chat with one of the Careers and Placements team before the fair, come to a drop-in (Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 11.00-13.00) or send us a question via Handshake (message the Careers Information Team in the public staff list in career centre).

Find out more in the next section about how the fair will work in Handshake.

Find out what the fairs will be like by watching the Handshake videos below (created for a US audience, but the principles will be the same for our fairs). Remember to log into York Handshake at york.joinhandshake.co.uk.

Virtual careers fairs

Preparing for virtual careers fairs

Watch this helpful video from Chris Wilkinson, York Law School, on how to make the most of the virtual Law Fair. (Note the process and timelines will be different for non-Law students.)

Careers and Placements video: What to expect from virtual events

Booking a session with an employer

To see available sessions and make your bookings for a group presentation or 1:1 appointment, once you've registered for the fair:

• Go to the fair event listing on Handshake
• Click the 'Available sessions' tab to see what group and individual sessions employers are offering
• Select the session you want to attend and click 'Confirm' to book
• The booking will appear in your schedule.

On the day

• Be ready in good time, dressed appropriately - it's a good idea not to be too casual, even for an online event.
• Plan to be in a quiet place with neutral background if possible to avoid distractions.
• Check your technology (including video and audio) in advance of any sessions you have booked; you will be able to do this 10 minutes before the session starts.
• Smile and introduce yourself when meeting the employer’s representative.
• Ask questions and be prepared to say a bit about why you are interested in the organisation / that career; try to keep your conversation focused (don't ask something you could easily find out from the company website).
• Keep notes of who you talked to and any useful information to refer to later.

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. UK visas will be changing in 2021 to include a Graduate Route visa, for students graduating summer 2021 or later, and the points based Skilled Worker Visa from January 2021; further information will be on the international students' pages as it becomes available.

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 firm. Ask questions about the company’s values and culture, and their training programme.  Some of the people on the stand are probably recent graduates so ask them about their experience of the training contract.

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 organisations 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).

To find out about the law firms and training providers attending, and to book individual or group sessions with them, please see the Law Fair event in Handshake.  

Organisations attending

• Addleshaw Goddard LLP
• BLM
• BPP University Law School
• British Army
• Chambers and Partners
• City, University of London
• Clarion Solicitors
• CMS
• DLA Piper
• DWF Group plc
• Harrogate Family Law
• Herbert Smith Freehills
• Hogan Lovells International LLP
• Irwin Mitchell
• Langleys Solicitors
• Latham & Watkins LLP
• LawCareers.Net
• Leeds Beckett University
• Morgan Lewis & Bockius UK LLP
• Nottingham Law School at Nottingham Trent University
• Osborne Clarke
• Roythornes
• SEO London
• SJP Law
• Squire Patton Boggs
• TARGETjobs
• Travers Smith LLP
• Trowers & Hamlins
• University of Law
• Vantage
• Walker Morris LLP (Graduates)
• Weil Gotshal & Manges (London) LLP
• Willkie, Farr & Gallagher
• Womble Bond Dickinson