100 Job Strategies
100 Job Strategies · 91 of 100
The Wrong Career Fair
At your own subject's career fair, you queue behind two hundred classmates. At a different one, the same employers are hiring your skills and nobody is asking.
In short
Career fairs are usually organised around a subject, college or industry, and candidates only attend the ones that match their degree. But large employers bring recruiters for many roles to every fair they attend. An engineering student at a business fair, a data-literate economics student at a technology fair, or a graduate at another college's open fair often meets the same recruiters with a fraction of the competition — and stands out as the candidate with an unusual combination of skills.
The situation
At the engineering career fair, the booth for a large manufacturing company has a queue of eighty students, all with near-identical resumes. The recruiter spends ninety seconds with each.
A week later, the same company has a booth at the business-school career fair. They are looking for supply chain analysts, and they would be glad to find someone technical who can read an engineering drawing and build a model in a spreadsheet.
One mechanical engineering student is there, having noticed the company on the attendee list. There is no queue. The recruiter talks to her for twenty minutes.
She gets an interview for a supply chain analyst role her classmates never knew existed.
Why this works
Career fairs sort candidates by degree. Engineering students go to engineering fairs, business students to business fairs, and so on. The result is that each fair is crowded with people who look alike to recruiters.
Employers, however, do not sort their hiring that neatly. A large company attending a business fair may also be hiring analysts, technical specialists and trainees who need skills from other disciplines. A technology company at a design fair may need people who can code. Many roles sit between disciplines and are genuinely hard to fill from any single fair.
That creates an opportunity. At a fair outside your field, the queues for your skills are short, recruiters have more time, and your background becomes a distinguishing feature rather than a commodity. Instead of being one of eighty identical engineers, you are the only engineer the recruiter has spoken to all day.
The same logic applies to fairs at other colleges or in other cities. Many are open to external students and graduates, and employers often have the same roles to fill everywhere they go.
How to run it
- 1
Check the exhibitor lists of every nearby fair
Look at fairs outside your subject and at other colleges. Exhibitor lists are usually published in advance, so you can see which of your target companies will attend.
- 2
Match your skills to roles those employers hire for
Look at the companies' current openings and early-careers pages. Find roles where your background would be useful but unusual for that fair's audience.
- 3
Confirm you are allowed to attend
Some fairs are restricted to specific students; many are open or admit external graduates. Check the rules and register if required.
- 4
Prepare a short pitch about your combination
Explain in two sentences why someone with your background fits a role they are hiring for — for example, an engineer who can do supply chain analysis.
- 5
Arrive early and visit your target booths first
Recruiters are fresher and have more time early in the day. Go straight to the employers on your list before the fair gets busy.
- 6
Follow up within two days
Send the recruiter a short note referencing your conversation and the role discussed, with your resume attached. At an out-of-field fair, you are easier to remember.
What to say
When it does not work
- Attending a fair you are not allowed to join. Check eligibility and registration rules. Turning up to a closed event creates a poor impression.
- Talking to employers with no relevant roles. Out-of-field fairs only work if the employer genuinely hires for roles that suit you. Research before you go.
- Pretending to have the wrong degree. Be open about your background. Your different perspective is the advantage — hiding it defeats the purpose.
- Using a generic pitch. Explain specifically why your combination of skills fits a role they are hiring for. Vague enthusiasm does not stand out.
- Forgetting to follow up. A good conversation fades quickly. A short follow-up within two days turns it into an application.
At your own subject's fair, you are one of many. At the right different fair, you are the rare candidate the recruiter was hoping to meet.
Questions
Can I attend a career fair for a different degree or college?
Often, yes. Many career fairs are open to students from other programmes or institutions, and some welcome recent graduates. Others are restricted. Check the fair's website or contact the organisers, and register if required.
Will recruiters take me seriously at a fair outside my field?
They will if you can explain clearly how your background fits a role they are hiring for. Recruiters often value candidates with unusual combinations of skills, especially for roles that sit between disciplines.
How do I know which employers will be at a fair?
Most fairs publish an exhibitor or employer list in advance on their website or through the career service. Compare that list with your target companies and their current openings before deciding which fairs to attend.
Is this useful for virtual career fairs too?
Yes. Virtual fairs are often easier to join from outside a particular college or subject, and the same logic applies: employers hire for many roles, and candidates with an unusual but relevant background can stand out in less crowded virtual booths.
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