Making the most of the Careers Fair:
The Key to Success
Agenda
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The Purpose of a Careers Fair?
Preparation for Fair
What to Expect
On the Day
Questions and Answers
The Purpose of A Fair
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One stop shop for students and employers
An opportunity to review different career areas
Students get up-to-date company information
Student and potential employers meet face-to-face
An opportunity to ask potential employers questions
about recruitment
• Company gets student’s C.V. or contact details
Preparing for the Fair
• More competitive than previous years
– from 108 to 83
• Review Companies attending fair
– Careers by Degrees 2009-10
– Careers website for updated list (Events)
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Make list of companies of interest
Include some of the less obvious ones
Compile list of questions for company
50% of companies are for Any Discipline
Preparing for the Fair (2)
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Update your CV and bring multiple copies
Customise CV if applying for different types of jobs
Highlight significant experience
Plan your strategy – order of priority
Think about how you will introduce yourself
Bring pen and paper to take notes
Bring your copy of Careers by Degrees
Remember 1st impressions count!!!!
Sectors represented
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Financial Services
Accounting
Insurance
Legal
Chemical/Pharmaceutical
Healthcare
Food & Drink
Retail
Marketing
SMEs
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Aeronautical
Manufacturing Eng.
Electronics
Software
Energy
Volunteering
Consulting
Education
International Opps
Finance, Law & Insurance
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Citibank
Northern Trust
State Street Bank
Central Bank
Quinn Insurance
Sun Life Financial
Zurich (Eagle Star)
• Maples & Calder
• Matheson Ormsby
Prentice
• Arthur Cox
• Friary Law
Accounting
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BDO
Deloitte
Ernst & Young
Grant Thornton
Horwath Bastow
Charlton
• Keogh Somers
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KPMG
Mazars
ODCL
PWC
Russell Brennan Keane
Consulting, ICT, Aero, Eng.
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Accenture
Analog
Dell
Ericsson
Hewlett Packard
Intel
Salesforce
SAP
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Airbus
Pilot Training Course
ESB
Bord Gais
Kentz
Mercury
Jebsen People Solutions
PharmaChem/Biomedical
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Abbott
Boston Scientific
Creganna
Johnson & Johnson
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Medtronic
Novartis
Stryker
Zimmer
Retail, Marketing, Food & other
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Fusion
FAS
IBEC/EOP
Irish Distillers
Kerry Group
Glanbia
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Aldi
LIDL
Enterprise Rent-a-car
Paypal
Defence Forces
International Opportunities
• Airbus
• Washington Ireland
Programme
• EIL
• Interac
• Jebsen (Norway)
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Sabis Schools
IBEC (EOP programme)
Irish Distillers
I-to-I Ireland
JET Programme
USIT
Teaching & Volunteering
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Sabis (UAE)
Interac (Japan)
JET (Japan)
i-to-I (25 countries)
MPS (UK)
Synarbor (UK)
U Teach Recruitment UK
Train2Teach (UK)
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Camphill Communities
EIL – Volunteer Abroad
Habitat for Humanity
ISPCC
Special Olympics
Viatores Christi
Volunteer Limerick
Voluntary Service
Overseas
Professional Bodies
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ACCA
CIMA
ICPA
ICAI
Irish Taxation Inst
Engineers Ireland
Institute of Building
What To Expect
• Stands, Stands, Stands,
• High noise levels
• Companies with lots of opportunities
– Representatives promoting the companies
– New graduate recruits
– Products, videos, demos
• Competition from other students & graduates
• Chatting with Company personnel, remember this
can be like a pre-interview!!!! Be alert!!!!
On The Day
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Dress smart – wear comfortable shoes
Positive Attitude
Be enthuastic and knowledgeable
Arrive early while employers are fresh
Make a list of stands you want to visit
Check the numbers & locations of stands
Plan your route around the fair based on the
companies you selected
• Check at Careers Stand if in doubt
On The Day contd…
• Keep an open mind about companies
• Practise your technique by approaching a few lesspopular companies until you feel more confident
• Explain why you are interested in their company-talk
about what you learned during your research
• Know what kind of job interests you
• Check application and interview details
• Don’t monopolise employers’ time
• Don’t expect them to be familiar with your course –
tell them about it
On The Day contd…
• Asking vague questions and being unclear about your
career interests will not impress
• Their questions;
– What interests you in our company?
– What type of position are you interested in?
– What department are you interested in?
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Have your own questions ready
Take notes and ask for name or business card
Be selective about material, freebies and handouts
Make note of companies who have your CV
Typical Questions to ask
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What degree disciplines do you recruit?
Have you recruited many UL graduates?
What is the typical career path of graduates?
What kind of training/development opportunities do
you offer?
• What’s the format of your recruitment?
– CVs, Applications, Online applications
– Aptitude tests, Assessment Centres
• What qualities do you look for in graduates?
Finally
• Think outside the box – big isn’t better
• Check out the ‘any discipline’ employers
• Call to the Coop & Careers stand for
– Queries and information
• Bring copy of Careers by Degrees for notes
• Provide feedback by completing survey
• Pre-register online and save valuable time
Q&A