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Discover your new career out at the North of Scotland Graduate Recruitment Fair.

The Robert Gordon University will welcome over 40 local, national and international companies to its Graduate Recruitment Fair on Wednesday 26th October 2011 from 11am to 3pm. This annual event gives you an excellent opportunity to meet with a range of recruiters keen to hire the best talent that is on offer from graduating students in the north-east of Scotland.

Whether you are in your first or final year there is something for everyone. Increasingly the fair attracts a healthy number of employers looking to discuss placement, vacation, part-time and graduate opportunities in various departments across their firms. A significant number of these jobs are open to graduates of all disciplines.

It is commonly quoted that around 70% of all graduate level jobs are open to graduates of any degree discipline. Employers value your degree to demonstrate your learning capacity but are equally as interested in the transferable skills you have developed through your studies, previous work or placement experience and extra curricular activities.

Employers can give you specific training to understand and progress the function of the job. However, they require you to be able to demonstrate to them that you are capable of:

• Being a professional communicator

• Being able to work effectively as part of a team

• Being able to take responsibility for your work and leadership roles

• Being commercially aware

• Demonstrating initiative

• Above all being enthusiastic and positive

For example:

• As qualified IT graduate you can still access a career an accountant

• As a graphic design graduate you can be a retail manager

• As a graduate nurse you can progress a career as an human resources manager.

In these challenging economic times be prepared to think out of the box, don’t be constrained by the subject discipline of your degree - there is a world of opportunity for you to explore.

Of course for some career areas a degree specific discipline is a pre-requisite for entry such as engineering, architecture, nursing, and physiotherapy to name but a few.

So to make the most of the fair you need to:

Plan Ahead – Ask yourself what you hope to get out of your visit to the Fair. Perhaps you want to collect information on a specific industry, or to network and gain helpful contacts. You may even want to talk to graduate employees of specific companies, to find out more about the opportunities on offer there.

Visit the fair website - www.rgu.ac.uk/graduatefair for your online programme which provides details of the exhibitors. Research the companies and organisations you are interested in and check which employers directly connect with your degree discipline and interests. Remember, however one of the main opportunities of the fair is for you to explore the full range of other possibilities that are on offer. Assess how you might connect with this wide variety of opportunities.

Make a good impression - First impressions count, so try to look your best. Employers will be in great demand by students throughout the day, so aim to impress them with your enthusiasm and self-motivation. Make sure your CV is the best you can make it and take along copies to the Fair. Not all employers will accept CVs, as some prefer their own application form or may ask you to apply online. Nonetheless your CV will be a useful tool for marketing yourself.

Sell yourself - Know what you have to offer, your skills, qualities and experience. Be able to talk knowledgeably about your degree, the projects you're currently working on and your future goals.

Gather as much information as you can - Employers will be extremely busy, but try to use the Fair to network. After you have talked to a company representative make sure you know what the next stage is. Before you leave a stand, take the name of the person you spoke to or ask them for their business card, this will give you a contact to follow up later. Some interested companies may contact you after the event to invite you for interview. If you don't hear from them, follow up the initial contact with a phone call.

If you are unsure about your future career direction, the Fair will allow you to find out about a range of different opportunities, so don’t be afraid to ask for some basic information about the company and the roles on offer.

The Robert Gordon University Graduate Recruitment Fair will take place on Wednesday, 26th October from 11.00am to 3.00 pm, at the Garthdee Campus, Robert Gordon University, AB10 7QG. The fair is open to all students and graduates from both Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University and University of Aberdeen. Graduates from other institutions residing in the north-east of Scotland.

Should you wish further information or assistance in preparation for the event please do not hesitate to contact the Robert Gordon University Career Centre on 01224 262110, Email: careers@rgu.ac.uk , or visit www.rgu.ac.uk/graduatefair

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