TL;DR
- A career fair, also called a job fair, careers fair or recruitment fair, is an event at which people looking for work can meet a number of possible employers in one place, ask questions, and find out about vacancies.
- Fairs come in four types: general, sector-specific, university-run and virtual. They work in six steps, from the list of exhibitors to the follow-up, and the conversation at the stand is the start of an application, not the end of one.
- Job seekers get the most from a fair by researching the exhibitors, planning an introduction, taking notes and following up. Employers get the most by sending people who do the job, bringing real vacancies and replying to everyone they met.
A hall full of stands, a tote bag of leaflets and a queue for the employer with the best sweets. That is the picture most people have of a job fair, and it is not wrong. What it misses is why the events still work, for candidates and for employers, when every vacancy is already online.
This article gives the career fair meaning, sorts out the four names the event goes by, describes the types you will meet, walks through how a fair works from registration to follow-up, and sets out what job seekers and employers should each do to make the day worth it.
The fair is where a hire begins, and the first weeks are where it is won or lost. See how New Dynamics onboarding brings tasks, early goals and manager conversations into a clear path for a new starter.
What is a career fair?
The Cambridge Dictionary defines a career fair as “an event at which people looking for a job can meet possible employers”, and notes that the UK spelling is careers fair. Its entries for job fair and recruitment fair point to the same definition, so all four names mean one thing.
Prospects, the UK graduate careers service, gives a fuller description in its guide to making the most of careers fairs: careers fairs “are events that bring organisations together under one roof, allowing jobseekers to network and connect with employers”. They let you discuss opportunities with recruiters and gather information about companies, sectors and roles.
The essentials, then, are three: several employers, one place, and conversation. A single employer's open day is not a fair. A website listing a hundred vacancies is not a fair. A fair is many employers and many candidates in the same room, or the same virtual room, talking.
Job fair, career fair, recruitment fair or hiring event?
| Name | Where it is used |
|---|---|
| Career fair, job fair | The usual American terms, and common everywhere |
| Careers fair | The usual British term, especially for university and school events |
| Recruitment fair | British, and often used for events aimed at graduates or a sector, such as a graduate recruitment fair or a teaching recruitment fair |
| Hiring event, open day | Usually one employer, sometimes several, where interviews and offers may happen on the day |
The first three are the same thing. The fourth is different in one important way, discussed below: at a hiring event, the employer may hire you there and then. At a fair, it almost never does.
Four types of career fair
Prospects notes that some fairs are general, with employers from a mix of sectors, while others focus on particular areas such as business, law, STEM or teaching, and that the format may be in person or online. Adding who runs the event gives four types worth knowing.
- General fairs, run by a local authority, jobcentre, chamber of commerce, newspaper or events company, with employers from many sectors. Good for exploring and for people changing career.
- Sector fairs, for one industry or profession: engineering, health and care, teaching, hospitality, technology. The exhibitors are more relevant, and the candidates are more informed.
- University and college fairs, run by a careers service for its own students and graduates. Prospects says they are typically geared towards final-year students, but that first and second years can use them to research options and find placements and internships. They cluster in the spring and autumn terms.
- Virtual fairs, held on a platform where each employer has a virtual stand, candidates create a profile and conversations happen by chat, message or booked video calls.
How a career fair works, step by step
- Get the exhibitor list. Most fairs publish it when you register. That list is the whole point of preparation.
- Research and pick. Read each interesting employer's site, note what they offer and decide who you must see, who you would like to see and who you will skip.
- Visit the stands. Introduce yourself, say what you are looking for and ask questions that the website cannot answer: what the work is really like, what they look for, what the process is.
- Take notes. Prospects advises recording your thoughts as you leave each stand, including application dates, entry criteria and contact details, because a busy day blurs quickly.
- Follow up. Message the people you met, thank them and refer to the conversation. This is what turns a chat into a contact.
- Apply through the process. The fair does not replace the application. It gives you a name, a reason and better answers.
Why nobody is hired on the spot
Prospects is direct about this. If you go to a fair expecting to be hired there and then, you will probably be disappointed, because however well you impress, there are still application procedures to follow. That is not a failing of the fair. Employers that hire fairly use the same process for everyone, and a ten-minute conversation at a stand is not it. Our guide to the meaning of hiring explains the stages that follow.
What a fair can do is get you the right information, a contact who remembers you and, sometimes, a fast track to the first interview. Treat it as the first step and it is worth the afternoon.
How to get the most from a career fair as a job seeker
Prospects builds its advice around preparation, impression and follow-up. Our summary:
- Prepare. Research the exhibitors, update your CV and your professional profile, and prepare specific questions rather than “what do you do?”, such as what training is given early on or what skills the employer looks for.
- Plan your introduction. Know how you will say who you are and what you want in two sentences. University careers services will often let you practise on them first.
- Go early, and go alone. Prospects suggests arriving early while recruiters are fresh, avoiding the lunchtime crush, and not going with a group of friends, because you will not stand out in a crowd.
- Do not skip the smaller stands. The well-known names draw the queues; the smaller employers may offer more variety and quicker progression.
- Look smart, act curious. Business dress is not required, but organised and interested is.
- Take notes and follow up. Within a few days, while they still remember you.
For virtual fairs, Prospects adds that the same rules apply online: check your technology, complete your profile with care, message recruiters proactively because you cannot catch an eye across a room, and find a quiet place with a neutral background.
How to run a good stand as an employer
Most advice about fairs is written for candidates. The employer's side matters as much, because a poor stand costs money and reputation.
- Send people who do the job. Candidates want to talk to a nurse, an engineer or an apprentice, not only to a recruiter. Pair one of each.
- Bring real vacancies. Have a short list of roles that are open now or opening soon, with the closing dates. “Check our website” is not an answer.
- Ask, then listen. The best stands run a conversation, not a pitch. Ask what the candidate is looking for and answer that.
- Capture details lawfully. Collect names and contact details with a clear statement of what you will do with them, and keep them only for that.
- Follow up with everyone. A reply within a week to every person you met, including the ones you will not pursue, is rare and remembered.
Fairs suit some hiring more than others. Our guide to talent acquisition covers where events fit in a wider plan, and our guide to writing a job ad will help you turn the conversation at the stand into an application that arrives.
Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of career fair?
A career fair is an event at which people looking for a job can meet a number of possible employers in one place, ask questions and find out about vacancies. The Cambridge Dictionary gives that definition and notes that the UK spelling is careers fair.
What is the difference between a job fair and a career fair?
None in meaning. Job fair and career fair are the usual American terms, careers fair and recruitment fair the usual British ones, and dictionaries treat them as the same event. A hiring event or open day is different, because it is usually one employer and may include interviews and offers on the day.
What is a recruitment fair?
A recruitment fair is the same thing as a career fair: an event where employers and job seekers meet. The term is common in the UK, often with a qualifier such as graduate recruitment fair or teaching recruitment fair, which tells you who the event is for.
Can you get hired at a job fair?
Rarely on the day. Prospects advises that recruiters are highly unlikely to offer a job, placement or internship at the fair itself, because application procedures still have to be followed. What you can get is information, a contact and sometimes an early interview.
What should I bring to a career fair?
A short list of the employers you want to see and questions for each, copies of your CV if the fair is in person, a notepad or notes app, and an up-to-date professional profile that recruiters can find afterwards. For a virtual fair, a completed platform profile and a quiet place with a reliable connection.
How should employers follow up after a career fair?
Reply to every person you spoke to within a week, refer to the conversation, and give a clear next step: a role to apply for, a date when applications open, or a polite no. Keep the details you collected only for the purpose you stated.
Your next step: pick one fair and prepare for it
- Find one fair in the next three months that fits your sector or your stage.
- Register, get the exhibitor list and pick five employers to see.
- Write two sentences that introduce you, and three questions for each employer.
- Book an hour the day after for follow-up messages.
If you are the employer, and a fair brings you new starters, read and download our employee onboarding guide so that their first weeks match the conversation at the stand. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.
Want every new hire to arrive to a clear plan, early goals and a manager who checks in? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current induction. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.
