Making the most of the Recruitment Fairs Ellen O’Brien International Careers Consultant

Aims of the session To help you prepare for the recruitment fairs To practice your pitch and questions to ask employers To network with other undergraduates and build your professional network

Theme 1: Recruitment Fairs and Goal setting In your group discuss: Have you attended a UK Careers Fair before? What benefit can students get from attending a Fair? What do you want to achieve at the fair? What is your main objective?

Employers What do you think employers want from international students? Discuss in groups

Employers want… Experience of working in the UK Excellent language skills A range of transferable skills (employability) Cultural competencies Commercial awareness Creative and targeted job hunting Effective applications

Examples of transferable skills gained during your studies Project management and organisation skills Self-management Add some more of your own

Standing out in the job market How can I use the skills from my studies and experience to stand out in the job market? Think more broadly about your skills, strengths and experience. Which employers are likely to value your skill set and what you can bring to their organisation?

Researching employers and asking questions 1.Find out about the organisations you want to target by doing your research 2.Prepare questions to ask at the Fair 3.Be open to meeting employers on the day you had never really considered before 4.Listen, and when there is ‘common ground’, tell them about you - so you need a short, personal statement (career objective, sales pitch etc) saying what you want. 5.Ask for their suggestions and advice.

NOT: Can you offer me a job in your organisation? INSTEAD: I’m exploring opportunities in Engineering and I’m particularly interested in Electrical Engineering. What advice do you have about who might be able to help me with my job search?

Employers offering opportunities to international students Absolute Internship Academies Enterprise Trust Airbus Group AMEC ARK Teacher Training ASDA Bank of England BDO Bishop Challoner Teaching School Alliance BP International Ltd BT ConSol Partners Decathlon Deloitte E.ON Everyone Everywhere Fluidata GSK Glencore Goldman Sachs GradEye Graduate Advantage graduate-jobs.com Grant Thornton Great With Disability

Focus on three employers attending the Autumn Fair 1.? 2. ? 3. ? Read the Fair guide for more information and go to the company websites to find out more details. See also details of forthcoming fairs on the events section of the Careers Network website:

Activity – Questions to ask employers Prepare questions relevant to your situation. Here are questions you could consider: What experience do you like applicants to have? What words would you use to describe the company culture? What are the key changes or trends within the industry/profession? Research the programme that you fit with & then develop some indirect questions …. I was reading about X programme on your web site & was curious to know Y (because) It seems that most of your successful students have X, Y and Z – and I’ve got these so which of your schemes would you recommend?

What is networking? What it isn’t Meeting one-off contacts who get you something A drawer full of business cards Making direct approaches with a request for jobs What it is Building strong, lasting relationships Using existing skills in focused way Making the most of arranged and chance meetings Following up your contacts Being prepared to play the long game

Definition of networking? Networking is building and developing mutually beneficial relationships

If you arrived with someone, split up Introduce yourself Be aware of your body language Move around the room Be prepared to remember names Start with positive subjects Ask questions to show a keen interest Gather positive information about individuals that you can bring back into a conversation later Be prepared to make personal disclosures Be prepared to introduce others and broker connections Use a clear and short statement to close the conversation, agreeing any follow-up Visa questions??? LISTEN How to behave in networking situations

Career networking in the virtual community Key components include blogs, online forums/chat-rooms, social networking websites and business/professional websites Fundamental difference from face-to- face networking is that social networking allows you to stay on periphery, observing discussion and transactions

Preparation First Impressions Introduction Business Cards Be positive Build relationships Look for opportunities Remember Maintain your network Top Tips!

Elevator Pitch: What message do you want to convey? You have 5 minutes to work on a pitch to a potential employer Write a few sentences that cover current situation, key words to describe you and what you are planning to do.

Elevator Pitch example: Hello, my name is Lucy and I’m a master’s student. I work part time as a brand ambassador for a graduate recruiter and have recently run a successful social media campaign which increased traffic to the recruiter’s website. I love digital communication and have read a lot about your recent campaigns using on-line games. I’ve come to talk to you today to find out if my online skills are what you’re looking for and what else I could be doing to boost my application.

What actions are you going to take after today? –Research companies you want to meet at the Fairs –Connect with Careers Network on LinkedIn and Twitter –Find out what is happening in your School and College to help you move ahead with your career plan –Do you have further questions? Ask us your questions on LinkedIn, book a one- to-one guidance session or speak to our Careers Network staff at the Fairs –Remember to do more work on your career action plan Next steps

Connect and stay informed Linked in for UoBMasters students bit.ly/uob- pgt LinkedIn for UoB international students Networking-UoB- International-Students ?gid= &trk=hb_side_g Networking-UoB- International-Students ?gid= &trk=hb_side_g Subscribe to Careers Network and College newsletters and Canvas International Students’ Careers Canvas course.

Dates of fairs autumn term Autumn Careers Fair, Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, Great Hall 11am pm both daysAutumn Careers Fair Science, Engineering and Technology Fair: rs/events/public/careers-fairs/science-engineering-and- technology-fair.aspx Wednesday 21 October, Great Hall 11am – 3.30pm rs/events/public/careers-fairs/science-engineering-and- technology-fair.aspx Business, Finance & Consultancy Fair, Wednesday 28 October, Great Hall 11am – 3.30pmBusiness, Finance & Consultancy Fair Law Fair: rs/events/public/careers-fairs/law-fair.aspx rs/events/public/careers-fairs/law-fair.aspx Wednesday 11 November, Great Hall 1pm – 3.30pm

You may be seeking a job, internship, or simply looking to explore opportunities in other countries. For these and other global career interests, the system provides extensive resources, guidance, strategies and tools to help you make your career move to 81 countries. To access Passport Career for the first time: Go to Click on ‘Have a Registration Key?’ (upper right corner of the homepage) Enter the following registration key: ubbus678 (all lowercase) Fill out the brief registration form. Use your /password to login in the future.