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 Find out about the organisations you want to target by doing your research Prepare questions to ask at the Fair Be open to meeting employers on the day you had never really considered before 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. 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 ? 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: http://bitly.com/careersnetwork

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

How to behave in networking situations 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

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

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

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.

Next steps 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 www.intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/careers/pg www.intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/careers/international

Connect and stay informed Linked in for UoBMasters students bit.ly/uob-pgt LinkedIn for UoB international studentshttp://www.linkedin.com/groups/Careers-Networking-UoB-International-Students-4515645?gid=4515645&trk=hb_side_g Subscribe to Careers Network and College newsletters and Canvas International Students’ Careers Canvas course.

Key events this autumn ‘Kick Start Your Career’ Careers Network Showcase - 5th October, 12pm – 3pm, Great Hall Autumn Careers Fair- 12th & 13th October, Great Hall Science, Engineering & Technology Fair – 19th October Business, Finance & Consultancy Fair – 2nd November Law Fair – 9th November Virtual Global Fair- March 2017 See our full event listings at intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/careers/events www.intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/careerscanvas/internationalstudents Kick Start Your Career’ Careers Network Showcase: come along and see how we can help!

Workshops for international students How to start job hunting (17 Oct.) Networking skills (24 Oct.) How to apply for internships (31 Oct.) Working in UK after your studies (7 Nov, 2pm) Preparing for interviews Assessment Centre/ online test preparation Mondays, Harvey Milk Room, Guild usually 1pm: https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/employability/careers/events/international-students.aspx Workshop series just for international students

To access Passport Career for the first time: 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 www.PassportCareer.com 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 email/password to login in the future.