How to make the most of career fairs in Stockport

Careers fairs in Stockport offer an amazing opportunity to meet and speak to several influencers, local employers and experienced business women/men.

Although the platform may vary, the idea behind them remains the same. In general, they’re aimed at final-year students who are ready to start filling out applications, but it can also give first and second-years a head start on looking into their options, or finding work placements.

There is a multitude of different careers fairs in Stockport and across Greater Manchester, some will be generalised to give students the best chance at finding their perfect job role whereas others may be targeted towards business, healthcare or technology.

To make the most of this unique opportunity you’ll need to make sure you’re prepared, so check out our list of ways to make every career fair a success!

Do your research

Doing your research before attending a career fair can not only save heaps of time trying to find the right stalls but also allows you time to research the employers attending and perhaps even prepare a list of questions. Try looking at the list of employers and highlighting those that you want to make contact with or create a ‘hit list’ of companies you’re interested in. But be sure to not discount those less well-known and not typically associated with your sector of interest; they might be offering just what you’re looking for. Use our ‘About Stockport’ key facts to learn about in-demand job sectors and some of the borough’s biggest firms.

The basics

If you’ve never been to a careers fair or have only attended virtual events and want to dip into an in-person fair, there’s a couple of tips that could make the difference between a successful meet or a missed opportunity. Firstly, while you don’t need to be in formal business attire you’re still meeting potential employers so looking smart and being organised helps make a good impression.

What’s more, behaviour can be hugely influential when speaking to potential employers. Someone positive and engaging will be well received by employers, while we understand it isn’t always easy to be outgoing when meeting new people, employers often love students who are full of enthusiasm.

Next up… time. We recommend going at the start or the end of the day when it tends to be quieter and you should have more one-to-one time with the employer. However, don’t go too late as your target employer may be in a rush to leave!

Stay focused on your goal

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed or a little overexcited meeting so many new employers at one time, after all this is your potential to shine!

However, it’s important you stay in the right frame of mind and not become too relaxed when attending virtual or in-person events. Getting distracted by mobile phones, TV’s, Netflix or friends can easily damage your chances to build your knowledge about different sectors, employers and companies.

Communication after the event

Following up after the careers fair can be a great way to stay in touch with potential employers or recruiters. If you’ve had a good conversation with an employer and you have their name, you can connect with them on LinkedIn and thank them for their help or drop them an email.

If you’ve been super successful and managed to bag yourself an interview or chat, make sure you send your CV to them before the meeting as this allows them to get to know you better and understand your skill sets.