 Tiffany recommends how to approach and make the most of Careers Fairs. Gone are the days when aspiring to a future profession meant choosing between just three options: medicine, law, or engineering. Today, there are hundreds of career paths, industries, and job roles to explore. But with this abundance of choice comes a new challenge: how do you decide? How do you navigate such a vast landscape of possibilities? Humans learn best through exposure. Experiencing things first-hand, known as experiential learning, often leads to the most impactful and long lasting insights. Careers fairs offer an excellent opportunity for this. They connect young people with employers, current professionals, graduate students, and more. It’s a powerful way to understand what companies are really looking for and to explore the diverse pathways and skill sets that can lead to success. This blog aims to equip you with the knowledge you need to make the most of careers fairs. I’ll also share my personal experience attending one and include a list of upcoming fairs you can check out for yourself. My first careers fair: I had a fairly uninteresting experience with careers education for most of my time at secondary school. I have vague memories of one or two people coming to talk to us, but nothing that really stuck. Unfortunately, my situation here isn’t exactly unique. One of the few that did stick was actually a talk by PUSH, but that was more focused on preparing us to become the best versions of ourselves—which can indeed be applied to careers. The lockdown happened when I was in Years 9 to 11, which is the target period for most work experience and careers education, so that likely played a part. My first ever work experience was virtual (and not particularly stimulating)! In my first 4 years of secondary education, I had never been to a single careers fair. Things changed once I entered sixth form. I’d started at a new school, and their careers advisor was just incredible! She’d created a huge roster of activities, events, and talks that were lined up throughout the two years I was there. In Year 12, my school hosted a careers fair. We were given profiles of the companies and some of the professionals who were coming to present to us, which allowed us to start thinking about questions before we spoke to them. We were also lucky enough to have interview practice with some of the professionals (many of whom were parents who had volunteered to help out), who asked some typical job or academia-related questions and then gave us advice on our CVs. I was initially meant to have my interview with a lady who worked in finance, but at the last minute I switched to a scientific researcher - which turned out to be a fantastic idea! The careers fair itself was held outside. Thankfully, it was the middle of June, so the sun was out and it was a warm day. Usually, in winter, these fairs are held indoors! It was fairly small, but around five or six companies were present. They ranged from larger corporations to small, independent businesses. Each business had its own stall, and many brought goodies for us to take home. The representation of industries was great, even considering the small size of the event. We had people involved in the art world (a Graphic Designer), music (a DJ), finance, entrepreneurship (the founder of a small company), and law. Although I’m not interested in pursuing a career in all of these industries, it was still amazing to rotate across the stalls and hear the stories of how these people got to where they are today - the skills they built along the way, the advice they’d give to young people, and the careers they’d had before eventually ending up in their current role. One of the most notable impacts the careers fair had on me was reassurance. I was so nervous about my future professional life. I’d spend hours mulling over it, often picking out careers for the wrong reasons. I focused too heavily on what looked good or what made sense based on my credentials, and overlooked the most important aspect - what made sense for me. After spending the day talking to professionals, as different as they all were, they agreed on one thing: do what’s right for you. A career takes up so much of your time - your life - so it needs to be in something you actually care about, something you’ll enjoy. Otherwise, it becomes a living hell. Given the choice, choose something that works for you, not the other way around. My advice to those about to attend a Careers Fair: Be prepared: This doesn’t mean memorising the company’s last five CEOs or learning obscure facts about their current director. You don’t even need to know much about the companies attending (although a quick Google search never hurts). What’s important is being prepared to listen and to ask questions. Go in with a clear idea of what you want to get out of the event. Is it clarity? Do you have specific questions about an industry? Are you hoping to learn more about transferable skills? Having this in mind allows you to tailor your questions and get the most valuable insights from each person you speak to. Be confident: It can be daunting to walk up and speak to strangers - but remember, they’re there for you. They’ve shown up to support you and talk with you. Take that in your stride, and use it as a confidence boost to make the most of your time there. Be yourself: As mentioned earlier, people genuinely want the best for you. So show them who you are - you never know where authenticity might take you. To finish, here is a list of websites that offer more information about careers fairs you can sign up to. Some are in-person, others are online. A careers platform for students aged 11–19. They often list virtual and in-person events, including employer-led sessions and fairs. Works with schools, colleges and employers to deliver careers support and sometimes links to local fairs and initiatives.
Picture: Hitesh Choudhary (@hiteshchoudhary) | Unsplash Photo Community AuthorTiffany Payne-Igharoro is a university student.
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