Tips and advice for the Graduate and Placement Jobs Fair on Wednesday 18 October

The Graduate and Placement Jobs Fair takes place on Wednesday 18 October, 12 to 3pm at the Student Life Building, featuring 60+ organisations from a range of sectors looking to hire students from across all courses and disciplines.

Students from any programme or level of study are welcome to attend and only organisations with currently available or upcoming internship, placement or graduate opportunities will be there, so this is a fantastic opportunity to sort out your next steps. 

If you have a disability, health condition or are neurodivergent and find busy fairs overwhelming, join us at 11am for our accessibility hour.  This will give you an opportunity to meet employers in a quieter environment.

In order to make the most of a recruitment event like this, it is important to prepare ahead of the event.  Check out this video of Andy from the Student Futures team offering some tips and advice about what you should do before, during and after the fair.

On the day of the fair

Upon arrival please make your way towards the Careers Zone and bring your student card to tap in and register your attendance. Floorplans will be available there so you can quickly and easily navigate your way around the event and speak to the organisations you are interested in.

Top tips when attending a recruitment fair

Many employers recruit in different ways therefore you may want prepare a CV that can be emailed to employers on the day. If you don’t already have a professional CV, you can use our CV Builder app. Then use our CV360 app to score your CV against 50 checks and get instant feedback to optimise it. If you have a LinkedIn profile, make sure it is up-to-date as many employers take LinkedIn profiles as a method application. If employers recruit via application forms, guidance on these is provided by the Student Futures team via a one-to-one careers meeting.  

You should also:

• Check out the list of organisations attending and take a quick look at their website ahead of the event and the vacancies they offer.
• Draw up a shortlist of employers you would like to speak to, but don’t just focus on the big names you’ve heard of – give the ones you don’t recognise a chance as well, so you don’t miss out on the interesting opportunities they offer! Allow enough time for your visit to the fair to chat to as many employers as possible.
• Prepare a short ‘pitch’ to introduce yourself to employers, e.g. I am a second-year/final-year History student interested in exploring possible placement/graduate opportunities with your company. I have read about your placement/graduate scheme online – could you give me some further information about that?
• First impressions count, so when you approach the stand, be confident and enthusiastic. Don’t just grab any freebies or brochures and move on, but introduce yourself and network with the staff by asking relevant questions, for example:
  • Which of your placements/graduate schemes would be suitable for someone with my degree?
  • What skills and knowledge do you look for in candidates?
  • Could you give me some tips to help me succeed in the application and recruitment process?
  • What sort of projects could I be working on at the organisation?
  • What do you enjoy most about working for this organisation?
  • What was the most interesting thing you have worked on? / What skills do you use the most in your role?

Here’s what can happen at a recruitment fair when you engage with employers

Watch this video of Sandumini, who graduated from LJMU with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering. After initially struggling to find a suitable position after graduation, she attended last year’s jobs fair at the Student Life Building. She talks about how important it is to engage with a range of organisations at an event like this and how doing so herself quickly transformed her career.

Organisations attending (subject to change):

Airbus, AJ Bell, ALDI, Amey, Ardent Management Ltd., ABP UK, Azets, B & M Retail, BDO LLP, Bright Horizons, British Airways, Causeway Charitable Services, CBRE, Civil Service Fast Stream, Coeus Insurance Management Ltd., Cyprotex, Decathlon, Deloitte, ERAC, Evolution Recruitment Solutions, Express Solicitors, EY, First Recruitment Group, Fisher German, Gardiner & Theobald LLP, Grant Thornton, Halton Council, HMRC, Home Office, ICAEW, Interventions Alliance, Knowsley Borough Council, Liverpool City Council Legal Team, LJMU JMSU, LJMU School of Education and PG, LJMU Student Futures, Lucideon, Mace Group, Matalan, Mazars, Merseyside Police, MHA Moore and Smalley, National School of Healthcare Science, Oh Polly, Omnicom Health Group, PPG, Princes Ltd., Proximo Group, Reed in Partnership, Rentokil Initial, ROQ, Target Jobs, Teach First, The Access Bank, THG, Warburtons, Wirral Borough Council, British Land, Quiddity Health, Expleo Group, BAM UK for Dept for Education, North Wales Police, NHS Leadership Academy, Fujitsu, Gerald Eve LLP, Pick Everard, ALS Global, Bentley, Volker Laser, Think Ahead, Frontline, Smaller Earth, Walton Youth Community Project

Book a place.