Event Prep – on your marks, get set, gooooo

Employer events - Employability Matters, career fairs and employer presentations - offer you an easy way to meet employers and make an impression.

Think about it. A bunch of employers or HR managers descend on campus with the express purpose of meeting their future employees. YOU! They’re coming into your territory so make the most of the opportunity!

You’re not walking into a formal job interview or a formidable recruitment panel. It’s a chance to have a chat or listen to their presentation and approach them afterwards.

These events give you an opportunity to become ‘real’ to employers, not just a name on a CV. And it is so easy to do – you just turn up, introduce yourself and find out more about the companies you’d love to work for.

Chances are you’ll have good conversations with people that are eager to show YOU how great their organisations are and are keen to hear what you’re looking for and why you’re interested in them.

Just make sure you are well prepared so you stand out from the other students also vying for their attention.

Put Your Best Foot Forward

  1. Attend a prep Career Fair or Employability Matters workshop.
  2. Research employers. How? Visit company websites, find them on LinkedIn, Google and CareerHub.
  3. Make sure your CV highlights your skills, knowledge and experience and match the roles that could be offered by employers you want to impress. (Attend a CV workshop (link) if you’re not sure if your CV is up to scratch)
  4. Draw up a list of questions to ask employers and prepare a one-minute introduction (your ‘elevator pitch’) showing a clear career focus: “Hi my name is … I will be graduating from AUT with a degree in … I’m interested in…“.
  5. Practice answers to employer queries e.g. What have you learnt from your course? Why are you interested in working for this organisation?

On the Day

  1. Dress professionally (you know… get rid of the gum, make sure your hair is clean, your clothes are pressed and tidy). Plan what you want to wear in advance so you’re not running around looking for your last clean shirt that morning.
  2. Arrive early with a list, or at least a plan, of the companies you are most keen on approaching.
  3. Don’t butt into conversations, but also don’t hang back doing nothing and hoping someone will notice you. Ask questions at presentations.
  4. Be courteous and polite. Spend 5 to 10 minutes with an employer, then check if it is okay to stay longer. Otherwise leave your CV and move on, arranging to return if necessary.
  5. Ask how their recruitment process works. When does the internship, graduate programme or job close? What happens next and
  6. what do you need to do?
    Collect business cards or write down contacts. Ask the best way to follow-up. If you leave your CV with them, would they like you to make a follow up call? Recruiters can vary from wanting e-mails, calls, letters - or nothing at all.
  7. Listen carefully to what the employers are saying and make notes after each interaction so you don’t inadvertently muddle up information about different companies. Over the following week or two, make sure you have free time for phone or face-to-face interviWritten by Angela McCarthy, AUT Employability and Careers writer