Category: Fairs

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Actober CVs elevator pitch Fairs Graduate recruitment Graduate Recruitment and Placement Fair graduateland Uncategorised

Cheat Sheet: Stand Out at a Virtual Careers Fair

How to create an online profile that will stand out to employers at the Graduate Recruitment and Placement Fair on 21 and 22 October

The Graduate Recruitment & Placement Fair on 21 and 22 October is the biggest Careers Fair at Queen’s. The fair will be a little different this year as we hosting it virtually on a digital platform called Graduateland. We like to think of this as Tinder, for jobs. Just like an online dating site, you can browse prospective employers to find your perfect match. You can even watch videos and live chat with recruiters. And, just like an online dating site, the more information you put on your online profile, the more you’ll stand out. 

WATCH: 

Completing your profile

The platform indicates how complete your profile is by giving you a colour coded percentage. Make sure your profile displays as green and 100% complete. 

Your profile will show amber after you’ve registered -the goal is to get it to green.
Green profile = good to go

Get the basics right

This above video covers the basics of what you will be asked to fill in at registration: degree information, skills etc. The good news is, once you have done this for one event, you don’t need to do it again. So, for example, if you attend Go Global on 14 October, you will already have a Graduateland profile However, for the Graduate Recruitment and Placement Fair there are a few trickier elements to fill in

Nailing the tricky questions

You can upload your CV, fill in your job history and details of any exchanges or work-related learning you have done. So far, so standard application. Where it gets tricky is an innocuous little box called:

‘Type in a captivating headline’ 

Don’t panic when you see this box.
Describe yourself in a headline. You:….

This is followed by a small box asking you to ‘Add a brief description of yourself that presents your career goals, skills and experience to potential employers.’ 

We know it can be hard to articulate everything that is fabulous about you in 200 words, so we curated the best tips from across the internet. If you still need help, you can contact our careers team for expert advice on careers@qub.ac.uk.

How to sell yourself in 25 words or less

HOW TO SELL YOURSELF IN ONE SENTENCE

How to pitch yourself to anyone

HOW TO SELL YOURSELF IN 30 SECONDS AND LEAVE PEOPLE WANTING MORE

Ready to start building your stand-out profile?
Log on to Graduateland here.

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Actober Career planning Events Fairs

Free Download: Your Career Plan for Autumn 2020/21 by Study Stage

Not sure where to start with career planning? Overwhelmed with options? We’ve streamlined your journey for you so you can easily see where you need to be and what you need to do to stand the best possible chance of propelling your career forward.

To help inform your career-planning journey, we’ve created a snapshot of the steps to success for every study stage. You can download the guide relevant to you to remind you of key events and milestone dates.

Steps to success for first yearsDownload
Steps to success for first year international studentsDownload
Steps to success for second yearsDownload
Steps to success for second years on sandwich coursesDownload
Steps to success for final yearsDownload

Our Careers website is a great place to start planning your career. Whether you have no plan, a vague plan or a firm career plan in mind, we’ll help you set and achieve short and long-term goals.

Don’t forget, the Careers service are here to support you, so if you have a question feel free to get in touch!

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Career planning Employers Fairs Graduate recruitment Graduate Recruitment and Placement Fair Graduate success Networking

Asking these two questions at a careers fair helped me land the perfect graduate role

Ben Devlin

Maths graduate Ben Devlin explains how the Graduate Recruitment and Placement Fair helped him realise the range of careers available to him.

Queen’s graduate Ben Devlin works as a Retirement Consultant at Willis Towers Watson in Dublin. He was taken on by the firm as a graduate actuarial consultant in late 2017. He may have made the transition from university to work look easy, but the reality was lots of applications, CV and cover letter submissions and interviews.

“I secured my graduate job after applying to many different actuarial roles,” says Ben.

Asking the right questions

Make the most of an employer chat by coming armed with questions

Ben was able to get a better understanding of the options open to him by asking the right questions at the Graduate Recruitment and Placement Fair: What positions at your company would be a good option for someone with my degree? What is it like to work at your company?

“I was able to get an insight into the range of careers that are available to me as a graduate. I was able to talk to people who worked for these firms and get an insight of what it is like to work for these firms on a day to day basis,” he says.

Building up skills

Build up your skills during your time at university

Ben built up relevant work experience during his time at Queen’s. 

“I participated in the London Finance and Business tour where I was able to get an experience of what it is like to work in an environment such as London. This helped me understand the roles that existed in firms in the finance industry and understand the application process. This in turn helped me prepare better for interviews and to land a summer internship the following year.”

His advice to current students? “Make the most of the opportunities available at Queen’s. It is also important to get internship or graduate applications in as early as possible in order to become more familiar with the application process,” he says. 

Interested in what graduate recruiters have to offer? Register now for our Virtual Graduate Recruitment and Placement Fair today.

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Alumni Career planning Employers Fairs Graduate recruitment Graduate Recruitment and Placement Fair Job Hunting Networking

How the Graduate Recruitment and Placement Fair changed my life

When Queen’s graduate Rachel Murphy (nee Hill) met her employer at a Queen’s Flagship Careers Fair, it took her career off in an exciting new direction.

Rachel at her graduation

Like many students, History graduate Rachel Murphy (nee Hill) chose her degree subject because of her passion for the subject, rather than because she has a particular career goal in mind. 

“In terms of my career, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, which made deciding on a subject to study at university quite tricky.  In the end, I decided to study History as it was a subject that I loved at school and the subject which I knew I would enjoy the most.  Enjoying my time at university was very important to me and this was my main motivation to study at Queen’s and to study History,” she says.

Exploring my options

While at Queen’s, Rachel was keen to explore career options and to build up valuable skills that would make her more employable after graduation. She gained work experience at PwC and built up her confidence by sitting on the Students’ Union Council.  

“This was great experience and built up my confidence for going forward into the working environment,” says Rachel.

She also booked a consultation with a Careers consultant at Queen’s Careers service to get CV and interview guidance. 

Rachel booked a Careers consultation to get advice on her next move after graduation

Finding an employer

Rachel then attended the Graduate Recruitment and Placement Fair, where she came across the Enterprise stall. She found out about their Graduate Management Programme and applied. 

She started the September following her graduation, moved through the Management Programme and was promoted to Management Assistant seven months later.

“The job had various roles and responsibilities which keep me very occupied throughout the day,” she says. 

For more of an insight into the Graduate Management Programme at Enterprise, watch this video:

Career success

Four year on, Rachel is Projects Officer at the Young Farmers Clubs of Ulster, the largest rural youth organisation in Northern Ireland which aims to nurture and develop young people. She credits Queen’s Careers service for helping her develop the skills she needs to succeed and for giving her that crucial first employer introduction.

Rachel now works as a Project Officer for a youth organisation

If, like Rachel, you are unsure what you want to do after graduation, register today for our Graduate Recruitment and Placement Fair. You can meet employers who are looking to recruit graduates just like you.

But don’t take out word for it – here is what Rachel had to say:

“My advice for current students is get involved with Queen’s and all it has to offer.  I would also advise to make use of the careers service as soon as possible and to really think about what their plans for after University,” she says.

Register for the Graduate Recruitment and Placement Fair now.  

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Employers Events Fairs Graduate recruitment Graduate success placements

Five advantages of virtual recruitment fairs for employers

Queen’s Graduate Placement and Recruitment Fair is going virtual on 21 and 22 October 2020. And while that means no campus buzz and no free cupcakes (sob!), there are plenty of advantages to going digital. Here are just five of them. 

  1. It’s fast and easy to set up

Forgot dressing a stall with company branding, Graduateland, our event host platform, will do all your selling for you. Once you’ve registered via MyFuture, you can set up your online stall with just a few easy clicks, preloading videos, company details and FAQs. 

2.You can pre-record the most relevant info

With the online presentation function, you can record a presentation for candidates to watch in real time. Beats talking yourself hoarse on a stand all day. What’s more, candidates can upvote each other’s questions so you can ensure you are answering the most important FAQs. 

3. You can hone in on the right candidates

Using filters to sort candidates, you can read student profiles and invite the candidates with the skills you are looking for to engage in a live chat or video call. This is arguably a much more efficient and strategic way to engage with our students. 

4. There are no queues

The logistics of a traditional fair dictate that only a certain number of students can get near you at any one time. With our virtual fair, an unlimited number of students can see your online stall. Candidates can even view your profile in advance of the event, along with your relevant job opportunities. What’s more, the number of representatives at your stall is also unlimited, meaning you can select the right representative to speak to a candidate. 

5. It’s cost effective

You don’t need to spend money on branded pens to compete for attention. Our virtual event means you have a captive audience of top talent at your fingertips. This generation have grown up with tech and are digitally savvy, so it’s easier than ever to communicate and engage with candidates. Meanwhile you’ll save time on branding, travel and time out of office.

To register for Queen’s Graduate Placement and Recruitment Fair on 21 and 22 of October, visit MyFuture today.

From August 31, you can set up your online stall via the GraduateIreland platform.

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