Careers and
Employability Centre
Karen Watts – Mental Health Support
Worker
Susan Reed – Senior Careers Adviser
What is the Access Hour?
Spring Careers Fair – Tuesday 26 February
Access Hour 3 – 4pm
For students who find the main careers fair
daunting and will have the opportunity to meet
employers in a quieter environment
Employers will have access to students who
might otherwise avoid attending the fair
First time we have offered this
Please register to attend on the CEC website
What Will Happen on the Day?
Register online to attend the access hour
Arrive at 2.30/2.45, David Wallace Sports
Hall – register at desk in foyer
Join us for refreshments upstairs on the
balcony
Collect fair programme
Help and support with fair if needed
Talk to employers
Finding out about the Careers Fair
www.careers.lboro.ac.uk
Download the Fair Programme
Look at the online programme before the day
The programme list contains information on: The level of opportunities available
(in addition to vacancies for final year undergraduates / taught Master’s)
Whether or not they able to recruit International Students *Stand Number – where to
find them in the hall
Programme entries for individual firms contain information on:
- Brief organisation details
- Type of vacancies available / disciplines recruited from
- Salary / Location(s)
- Website address
Preparing for the Careers Fair 1
Find out which employers will be attending
- Look at CEC web-site / fair programme
Identify and research employers and vacancies of interest
Don’t overlook opportunities with less well known companies
Don’t make assumptions about vacancies - e.g. engineering companies may
have finance, IT, HR, marketing vacancies
Check out your CV on Quick Advice desk before the day
Ensure you have plenty of good quality copies with you on the day
Preparing for the Fair 2
Narrow down the list of companies you want to target on the day to a small
number that are:
- Offering opportunities you are qualified to take
- Offering what interests you
- Really interested in what YOU have to offer
Research each of these companies in detail
- Do you meet their requirements?
- Think how you will market yourself to those employers
- 30 Second CV / elevator pitch
- Prepare questions for each company
30 Second Elevator Pitch
Think of 3 Unique Selling Points (USPs) which describe you and
put them into a short paragraph that you could learn and reel off naturally
when asked about yourself e.g.
(1) “I’m a second year Business Management student with
(2) experience of using a variety of spreadsheet and database packages
(3) good interpersonal & sales skills developed through several retail jobs”
NOW add a sentence which explains what you are looking for at this
stage / event (e.g. at the Recruitment Fair), e.g.
“I’m investigating a career in marketing and I’m looking for advice on how I
can find out more about what this career involves and what I need to add
to my CV if I want to get into it when I graduate”
At the Careers Fair 1
Many of the stands will have Loughborough graduates
- Find out as much as you can about
 What the job is like
 What the company is like to work for
 What the recruitment process was like
You’ll be able to use what you learn in your applications
ASK PROBING QUESTIONS
-Make the most of this opportunity, DON’T just pick up leaflets!
Questions you could ask
Can you describe your typical day/week?
What kinds of problems do you deal with ?
What do you find most/least satisfying about your work ?
Where are opportunities advertised ?
Is there a typical career pattern for new professionals ?
Which parts of this field are expanding and likely to offer opportunities
in the future ?
What are the typical entry-level jobs ?
What are the toughest challenges the profession is facing ?
Can you suggest anyone I might be able to talk to ?
Are there opportunities for work shadowing or work-Experience?
At the Careers Fair 2
Practise – get rid of your nerves and try out your questions on a
company you haven't targeted, then you will be ready for your
preferred companies.
Dress smartly – you are trying to impress and first impressions count!
Bring up-to-date copies of the CV you have already had checked by
the Careers and Employability Centre, but don't be put off if the
employer still asks you to look at their website and apply online.
Don't panic – if you need any help on the day, speak to CEC staff
If you don't know where to start arrange to see an adviser on the
Quick Advice Desk before the fair to help you get an idea of what you
might be looking for in a job.
Coping with Anxiety
We realise that for some of you, speaking to people that you do not
know, especially for the first time, might be anxiety provoking.
Some of you may find the idea of trying to find the right sort of job,
with the right sort of employer very stressful.
If you find that stress and anxiety is affecting you negatively, then
please speak to someone who you can trust. This may be a friend
or family member, it might be a supportive tutor or someone from
student services.
There are lots of useful links on how to manage stress and anxiety
on the CDS web-site