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Careers fairs and events

We organise a variety of events to help you improve your employability skills, put you in direct contact with recruiters and give you information about specific occupations.

Find the details of our upcoming fairs below, and please feel free to get in touch if you'd like to know more.

If you are an employer interested in taking part in our events, there is further information on our services for business pages.

Upcoming events

The Teaching Fair 2024

Date: Tuesday 5th March, 10:00 - 14:00

Location: Student Central

If you are interested in teaching, just want to explore this as an option or simply find out more, please come along. The fair is open to ALL students and graduates. We have several types of teacher training providers attending and some other employers who can promote opportunities for you to gain paid experience in working with children.

See more information on Handshake Career Centre.

Students attending a careers fair at the University of Bradford

The Summer Careers Fair 2024

Date: Thursday 23 May 2024

Time: 10:30 – 15:30

Location: Student Central, University of Bradford

Our Summer Career Fair returns in the last week of term, with a range of employers on campus offering casual and part-time roles for the summer vacation, along with graduate jobs, work experience opportunities and more.

For further information coing soon.

 

A photo of the Summer Careers Fair from May 2018

Who are the careers fairs for?

The simple answer is everybody:

  • First and second years - many employers and organisations advertise for placements and internships for middle years students. It's also a good idea to have a look around, chat to organisations and get a feel for the kind of organisations that you might want to work for in the future. There's also part-time jobs on offer, especially at the part-time jobs fair in September, and interesting things to do with your summer at our fair in May.
  • Final year students are the main target of the graduate careers fair in Autumn, as lots of employers will be recruiting for graduate roles for the forthcoming year. A wide range of industries and sectors will be represented, and don't forget that there are many roles and career areas within a given sector, e.g. management and accounting roles within the health sector. If you're still unsure about what you'd like to do after graduation, there's another chance to explore your options at our summer fair in May.
  • Graduates - previous University of Bradford graduates are welcome to attend and apply for the advertised positions, check the exhibitor listings for those accepting previous year's grads.

We endeavour to make the fairs accessible to all, so please get in touch if there is anything we can do to improve your experience.

Preparing for careers fairs

Are you ready for the fair?

Careers fairs are a great opportunity for you to network with employers, gain an insight into the jobs they are offering and even make connections that could eventually help you get a job. But are you ready to make the most of the day? Here are some things to consider...

Before the fair

  • Get your CV in shape by getting some help from the Career and Employability Services or by reading our information on CVs or drop into our CV clinic at the fair.
  • Check the organisations attending the fair to plan your time effectively.
  • Make a list of who you want to see to use your time effectively; visit their websites to show that you are interested and knowledgeable.
  • Keep an open mind and consider all the options available to you.
  • Think about the skills you have and what you can offer a company.
  • Make sure you allow yourself at least a couple of hours at the event.
  • Bring some paper copies of your updated CV with you.
  • Book onto some of the workshops.
  • Be prepared to answer questions about your interests and motivations. You may want to write these down to focus your ‘pitch’.

Prepare some questions – here are some ideas to start you off:

  • What are the work experience, placement and internship opportunities?
  • What are the particular strengths of the organisation?
  • Are there future developments likely in the organisation or industry?
  • What do their advertised roles involve?
  • How do they recruit - what are the methods and selection criteria?
  • Are there opportunities for ongoing training?
  • How would I be supported in the role?
  • Can they describe the working culture and environment?

Approaching employers at the fair

  • First impressions really do count, so dress smartly and approach employers with a smile and positive attitude.
  • Introduce yourself, you might want to tell them a bit about your course and career ambitions and ask them the questions you've prepared.
  • Be confident about what you can offer. Think about your degree, any work-experience and your range of skills – how might these be relevant and useful for that company?
  • If you are interested in a particular aspect of the company’s work, tell them. You’ll be able to get some inside knowledge that could be useful in your application or interview.
  • Treat the fair as a first stage interview, recruiters will be seeking out impressive candidates and will remember those people who made an extra effort .
  • Make notes after each discussion, including the names of anyone you speak to.
  • Keep your mobile on silent, or better still switch it off when you are talking to an employer.
  • Make sure you’ve got a copy of your CV ready so you’re not digging around in the bottom of your bag.

After the fair

  • Go through your notes.
  • Read through company literature.
  • Email and LinkIn with any contacts you made and thank them for their time.
  • Start applying, don't forget that we're here to help with your applications.

And finally... enjoy yourself

This is a fantastic opportunity to meet with recruiters, seek out new opportunities and to build a network of future contacts that will hopefully lead to your dream job.
We are sure that you will have a successful and enjoyable day but if you have any queries come and find us at one of our stands.

Look out for our online feedback survey which we send out after the fair and please fill it in - your feedback helps us to plan future fairs.

Get ready for the fair

Further help from Careers is available to make sure you're prepared for the latest careers fair:

What can I expect?

For each Careers Fair we make the following information available to help you prepare:

  • Exhibitors list with details of each organisation and their available opportunities
  • Floor plan
  • Workshop schedule

There will also be a CV clinic taking place throughout the day, with help and advice from employers and the Careers team.

Come and find us on the Careers stands if there is anything else we can do to help you - we're usually the first stand as you come in.

National recruitment events

As well as the events we organise, there are also many other graduate recruitment events throughout the year (in person and online) that you may be interested in, which can be targeted to a specific sector or industry, employer, or focus on jobs by region.