Preparing for Careers Fairs
Careers Fairs are designed to directly expose you to a variety of
graduate employment and development programs by enabling you to meet
the employers face-to-face.
Run early in March, Careers Fairs take place well before the majority
of application closing dates for the various opportunities on offer.
Attending offers you the chance to meet recent graduates, recruiters
and senior managers from a number of organisations, to ask pertinent,
probing questions that help you decide whether or not to apply for
particular opportunities and to discover information that might enhance
your application(s).
The idea is not to simply drop off your resume
to every employer and not to have employers re-explain facts
that are already freely available to you via their websites.
In order to get the most out Careers Fairs you'll need to prepare
in advance and do your research! Research demonstrates your enthusiasm
for an opportunity and on the day you'll speak with experienced representatives
who can easily discern who has and has not prepared.
Following are some tips that might help you:
- Visit the links to participating organisations for key details about the disciplines they are targeting, who is eligible to apply, etc. For each that appeals, visit the attached website link in order to gain initial insight into the organisation, its activities, news, initiatives, culture and the type of opportunities it might offer.
- Consider the types of personal attributes and employability skills
your targeted employers may value and whether or not you possess
them. Employers look for a range of attributes including but not
limited to 'motivation', 'enthusiasm' and 'ability
to perform under pressure'. They also look for candidates with well-developed
skills in areas like 'communication', 'problem-solving' and 'teamwork'.
Could you, in a brief discussion with an employer, describe examples
of activities, experiences and behaviours that show you have these
qualities to offer? (The Australian Department of Education, Science
and Training's Employability Skills for the Future report
defines the 'Employability Skills Framework' and can
be found on the DEST website.)
- From your initial research, compile a list of organisations that
you believe you are well suited to and wish to approach at the Fair.
Make note of questions you might ask, aiming to expand on
information you already know or have read, and especially to cover
areas not addressed in published resources. Specific questions
that demonstrate your research and interest in an organisation will
come across well. Questions like "What do you do?", "What
disciplines are you seeking?" or "Do I have to be a Permanent
Resident to be eligible?" highlight a lack of research and
will generally not impress.
- Visit Career Gateway, where a number of participating organisations
may advertise their graduate vacancies. To find these ads quickly,
simply login and
under the 'Job Search' heading at left of screen, click 'New
Search', then enter 'Graduate Careers Fair' in
the 'Keywords' field. Details, closing dates and how to apply will
be included in each advertisement and again, where possible, should
be used as
a springboard for discussion with employers at the Fairs before submitting
an application. If you haven't used Career Gateway before, you'll
need to login using your authcate username and password and then complete the registration form.
- If you feel a little awkward about the idea of approaching employers directly, remember that the Careers Fairs are relatively informal in that employers are expecting to receive unsolicited approaches from large numbers of inquiring students. It is a good idea though to practise your introduction skills, or rehearse the questions you hope to ask. Students who appear confident, informed and who ask perceptive, relevant questions make the best impression.
- Although employers do not typically expect to receive resumes at
the Careers Fairs (and some prefer not to), it is essential that
you have a current, well formatted resume available, so that if you
are asked for a copy you can provide it, or if you decide to apply
for positions after meeting employers at the Fairs, you can comfortably
submit a high quality application by the due date. Monash University
Employment and Career Development can provide resume samples and
resources, and offers a resume
feedback service to help you.
- In addition to sharpening up your resume, make time to practise
your interview skills, learn about assessment centres, psychometric
testing and other commonly used graduate selection techniques. Preparing
in advance and practising in a supportive environment will boost
your self-confidence and help you perform well when it's time for
the real thing. Monash University Employment and Career Development
provides interview
practice, job
seeker seminars, careers
consulting, the Job
Seeker's Guide and more to
help you.
Enquiries:
Tel: +61 3 9905 4170
Email: info@careers.monash.edu.au
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