Career Fairs

Many Careers Fairs in the UK are targeted at both students and graduates and may be quite different to what you are used to in your home country. Many large graduate employers will start the recruitment process up to a year in advance of the job or internship starting.  If you want to be considered for these organisations then it is really important that you know about this and keep to their deadlines for applications. The traditional recruitment period starts in September-October every year but some employers will accept applications all year round, while other smaller companies will recruit only when they have a vacancy.

If you are just starting out on your course, you can use these events to make sure you know about any deadlines that may apply to you. It is a valuable opportunity for you to research the Scottish and UK graduate labour market and to make direct contact with employers. What better way to get a feel for UK graduate recruitment in plenty of time to prepare your job search strategy!

The Scottish Graduate Fair 
3-4 October 2017
Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC, Glasgow)

The Scottish Graduate Fair is an extremely important date in the graduate recruitment season. It is the biggest graduate, postgraduate and internship recruitment event in Scotland attracting nearly 4,000 students and graduates of all disciplines and approximately 100 graduate employers and postgraduate recruiters. Students and graduates from all universities are welcome to attend.

You may also get the chance to talk informally to recent graduates who are often on the stands and find out from them directly about graduate programmes and recruitment processes. More information about the Scottish Graduate Fair will be posted on the Careers Service website, when available.

Big Fairs Little Fairs

In GCU your own School may organise a Fair or the Careers Service may arrange a smaller event targeted at a specific set of degree programmes. These usually run along the same lines as the bigger national graduate fairs. They will often be advertised within your School or on the Careers Service web site, so make sure that you check our  pages regularly for updates.

Virtual Careers Fairs

Virtual Careers Fairs may also be known as online job fairs. Their purpose is to bring together students and graduate employers in a virtual environment so that you can explore career opportunities and meet with graduate employers. It allows you to:

  • Access information on employers and their job opportunities
  • Seek advice from professional careers advisers
  • Submit online applications for opportunities
  • Participate in live text-based chats with employers each day

You usually need to register in advance for these events and you will be given a time slot to access the virtual careers fair. If you are new to this kind of forum, you can  register and observe the discussions that take place.

Career Conversations

Every year GCU careers staff invite a range of graduate employers to visit the campus to deliver our popular series of Career  Conversations. These are informal events and provide a fantastic opportunity for you to hear at first hand about the recruitment process for individual companies. This can be a really great networking opportunity for you especially if you make a good impression! Remember to look for these in the Events section on our website.

Employers may also have contact with you through your degree programme as well.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *