Exhibitor Area: Making the most of the fair

Come along to our informal info session on the day

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10.15am - Make the Most out of the Fair Session

At 10.15am on the day, we will be hosting an informal session on how you can make the most out of the fair. Come for an informal chat over tea and coffee with Careers Service staff. We’ll tell you a bit more about which students are likely to be coming to the Fair, what they might ask and what you might want to think about in terms of next steps after the Fair. If you can’t make it to our information session, please keep reading for an oversight on who you are likely to meet at this event.

Who am I going to meet at this event?

We expect the Fair to be attended by approximately 2000-2500 students and graduates. The event is open to students from any subject background and at any stage in their course. We can’t predict exactly who will attend, but we are hoping for student attendance from across the university. Based on previous years we would expect around 61% Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, 35% STEM and 4% Medical and Veterinary Medicine. To see the range of disciplines offered at the University of Edinburgh, please visit our College and School webpage or get in touch to discuss further. In terms of level of study, we also expect to see around 32% postgraduate taught and 68% undergraduate student attendance.

We are proud to have a very diverse student population – our international students make up over 44% of our student population and come from 167 countries. 31% are from non-EU countries and you may find they have questions about visas, so give thought as to how you will handle these enquiries on the day. Recruiting international students can be easier than you think. Read through our guidance and familiarise yourself with your organisation’s procedures.

We provide a useful insight into our student body on our website – it is worthwhile reading this to get a feeling for the range of students you may meet.

This fair also welcomes students from other universities such as Edinburgh Napier, Stirling and Heriot-Watt.

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Preparation you can do

We encourage students to prepare for the fair by researching the organisations who are attending. We also share some of the information you provided on your booking form.  Realistically though, we know that some students will not have done as much preparation as others – but they may still be great potential candidates for you.  You can make the most of your interactions with students by:

• Being prepared to answer a wide range of questions - even if your main aim is to talk to students relevant for your graduate level roles, early year students may still ask you advice on what they can be doing now to enhance their applications later.  
• Talking about opportunities you have currently, but also giving students a general picture of how your organisation recruits - so that they understand how they can increase their chances of finding roles you may have in the future.  
• Talking on a personal level – be prepared to share detail of your own career path, and give real life examples of what you/your colleagues are working on.  The benefit of the face-to-face communication at this event is to allow students to get a level of insight that may not be possible from your website.  
• Being mindful of jargon –we would encourage you to consider that use of acronyms or jargon may be off-putting.
• Be open to speaking to students from a variety of disciplines. We will provide students with a list of organisations looking to target their degree discipline. This information is based on the selection your organisation has made on the booking form. If you are unsure of your selections or this has changed, please let us know 4 weeks in advance of the fair. At the fair please avoid telling a student that they are not relevant for you, but advise them to keep an eye out for future opportunities at your company.
• Please speak clearly and directly to students. A proportion of our students have accessibility needs and may find the noise of the fair difficult to hear or focus.

Other

Read our FAQ website for all the logistical information you need for the Careers Fair.  

Further questions?

Please contact us on employers@ed.ac.uk or 0131 650 6688.