Careerships was delighted to be present at the Leeds University Careers Fair. We met some great people. Here’s our summary of the day.
We met some great people. Here’s our summary of the day.
The Careers Fair had two options available! Drop in rooms for any students to come and have a friendly chat in a group environment, and one-to-one slots of 10 minutes each which could be pre-booked. We were delighted that all 30 of our one-to-one slots were filled well in advance of the fair and our drop-in room was busy throughout the day!
The system worked really well, (aside from a technical glitch at the outset that meant the hosts of the drop-in rooms couldn’t enter their own rooms), other than that it was very seamless with students able to “knock” on our door and enter our rooms that were available. Video wasn’t mandatory but all the students we spoke to opted into the video call functionality and this made it very personable. Some came just to learn, and a few were armed with some very impressive questions!
The providers of the fair that charge a reasonable fee yet describe the experience as totally awesome. It takes a lot for us to think something is that awesome, but we do admit, it was very slick.
There were no drop offs in connections and for something that has the potential to go very wrong, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day. A number of students were “Stuck overseas” due to Covid restrictions so being able to engage with them and give them the same opportunities as those that live in the UK full time was really rewarding. Covid-19 affects everyone in different ways and it must be horrible for them being stuck away from their friends and feel like they may miss out on opportunities that could benefit their future. We managed to have chats with people both locally but also in Singapore, Dubai, China and Canada which as you will know from our site and our international approach was right up our street!
Further online engagement from the university itself would have made it more engaging for students but as a stand-alone event it worked well!
We met some very impressive students! Wide eyed and full of ambition and still positive about a post-pandemic world and the opportunities that lie ahead!
The ones that really impressed us were those that had done their research. They knew everything about our company and what we were looking for and, in some instances, already came armed with a few ideas to impress us!
This technique works well throughout individual’s careers when they present it at interviews and to see it from undergraduates was really impressive!
Following the event some already listened to our advice and have engaged us on social media and in private and the positive proactive attitude is exactly what we and other employers look for!
The key lesson here for students and professionals when looking for opportunities is to remember, do your homework, show up to impress, leave your ego at the door and articulate why you should be picked for your next opportunity! If you build your application around this ethos you won’t go far wrong!
Going forward I am convinced I will be writing again in the near future to announce some of our new Careerships members who really impressed us at this event! In the meantime for students reading this, whether you met us on the day or not. our takeaway is this:
Keep up your positive attitude, continue to diversify your skill sets, don’t be afraid to research who you meet and focus on your ideas, innovations and solutions. No company is looking for a graduate to have all the answers, they are looking for ambition, a positive attitude, demonstration of intellect and a solutions-oriented mindset!
One of our most popular tips of the day? If you want to add another skill to your locker to help you stand out, then get familiar with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint now! Many professionals I have met waste hours of their time trying to do this for their teams, clients or bosses and if you learn the skills early you can do amazing things in minutes that will really polish your work throughout your career!
All the best,
Richard Edge
CEO & Career Coach | Careerships
Book in via info@careerships.com for a free 30-minute Zoom call to learn how we’ll clear your path to success.
Careerships help professionals across 31 countries make substantial changes in their careers and lives.
Using our unique blend of international experience, passion, AI, commitment, and an ability to understand how to progress, we have maintained our 100% success record for our client partners, and it is our mission to keep this intact.
