Five things to do before The Guardian London Graduate Fair June 10, 2009

1. Check out what is going on. The fair runs over two days, 16th-17th June, and there’s more than just employer stands. There are talks from our careers advisers on the job market in various sectors (very useful at the moment), plenty of exhibitor presentations, as well as careers workshops.  Check out the presentations programme so you can plan your visit to fit.
2. Prepare yourself for some networking. Many people find networking intimidating, but the fair is all about making a connection with an employer and finding out more. Here are some examples of questions to ask well as links to further resources.
   
3. Get your CV checked at your university careers service in advance of the fair. It is worth bringing a number of copies of your CV for employers who ask for them. These CVs should be the real deal – spell-checked, polished, and printed on good quality paper. You can get a CV check at the fair, but the queue does get very long (over 30 mins) and you don’t want to waste time standing around. It’s much easier to get it done beforehand!
4. Research. You can see who is exhibiting at the fair here and who they are looking for. Do some research on the companies you are interested in beforehand so you can impress the employers with informed questions.
5. Plan to get there early and get to the front of the queue so you can get the attention of employers first. It is easier to make an impression at the beginning, and the employers will still be ‘fresh’ – by the end of the day everyone gets tired from talking to so many people in a busy environment. Pre-register and you can get in an hour before everyone else.

There are many more tips in the recruitment fairs podcast from The Guardian.