Visitors Guidelines

Visit our website for information about the companies that will be present at the fair this year and view their profiles. Make a preliminary selection of companies who are looking for students from your subject area and take a look at their details. Perhaps you have already specialised in a certain area that one company is particularly focusing on? Or are you just looking for an internship or a job as a working student? You can find out about the various options for joining a company in their respective profiles.

We recommend ensuring that you know more about the company than just the information that can be found on the start page of their website; for example, which industry the company operates in and what products or services it provides. You should also have an overview of the subject areas they are looking for candidates in, and about the options available for joining the company. It is also worth remembering that using Yes / No questions is not the best way of starting a conversation. An open-ended question is more likely to get you an answer that provides further points of reference to keep the conversation going.

At the fair, you will have the chance to have your complete job application folder checked free of charge by company representatives and by the advisors from the Career Service. You can find out who will be taking on the various time slots on our website or at the fair itself. It is not absolutely necessary to present your documentation when you visit a company's stand. However, if you approach a specific company with a well-prepared CV, it can leave a good impression and can also form the starting point for a conversation. Please don't expect them to go through your paperwork there and then.

Once again in this case – first impressions count! Get a clear idea of how you want to present yourself and how you want to be perceived. This doesn't necessarily mean buying a whole new outfit. This is not a job interview, so it's not necessary to wear a suit. It’s more important to ensure that you are smartly dressed in a way that fits in with the professional context. You will also get the chance to have an application photo taken free of charge, so you’ll need to wear the right outfit for this.

It's completely normal to be nervous before having a conversation which concerns your future career opportunities. But to make sure that you nevertheless manage to present yourself well and don't forget what you wanted to say because you are so worked up, it's a good idea to rehearse the conversation. Make some notes about the things that you definitely want to say and try practising a 30-second presentation in front of the mirror. If possible, get some feedback from friends or other students. This will allow you to find out how you come across and perhaps make some adjustments to the way you present yourself. You can also use our workshop "Career Fairs - How to Leave a Competent Impression" to prepare yourself specifically (register via Stud.IP) or get tips on how to start conversations on the Career Service team stand. Yet, despite all this preparation, it's also important that you remain natural and authentic.

Yes, definitely! Many companies do not explicitly mention it, yet they may in fact offer the option of lateral entry. Consider your soft skills and any other abilities and expertise you have that may be appropriate, and get prepared to demonstrate to companies that you would be a great catch for them even though you don’t have precisely the specialist qualifications they are looking for. Some research beforehand on the company's website can provide valuable indications.

It's worth going to the fair early when it isn't so crowded yet. This will tend to be the time when there will be good opportunities to get into conversation on the stands. In particular after the presentations given by individual companies, it can get very busy on the relevant stands. Allow plenty of time for your visit to the fair in case you sometimes need to wait until busy periods have passed.

In the ideal case, you will have practised addressing them in advance (Have a look at the questions above). But even without preparation, there are some skilful ways of starting a conversation. Take a look at the company's profile (with a klick on the logo on our website) and think of an open-ended question that refers to the information you found there. By doing this, you are showing more interest than you would by using Yes/No questions to start a conversation. Always be friendly and polite and maintain eye contact with your conversation partner.

After the fair is over, when you are writing a job application, you may want to make reference to the conversation you had. Ask for a business card or make a note of the person's name and contact details so that your application will stand out from the crowd. If you were able to get an agreement on specific follow-up steps in your conversation, then make a note of these to be sure that you don't forget what they were. And remember to put your mobile phone onto silent during your visit to the fair so that you can conduct your conversations without any interruption.

Directly after each conversation, make a note of the important details, contact information and what you talked about. We would also recommend that you get in touch quite soon after the event. If you contact a person more than two weeks after the fair, it may already be difficult for them to remember you.

When you make use of your contact details afterwards, thank the person in question for taking the time to talk to you, making reference to the place (e. g. the stand) and date (which day of the fair) when you met, using as specific a reference to the meeting as possible.

Was your visit to the fair successful? Did you make progress in terms of career orientation, or were you perhaps able to secure an internship? Well done! Consider what it was that led you to being successful and make a note of the important points so that you can take up on these the next time you are applying for a job.

Did you fail to find anything helpful at the fair or have any useful conversations? Don't let it get you down! Think about the possible reasons for this and what you could change in the future. Are you perhaps not yet sure what you want to do with your degree? Did you find that your job application documents were not convincing enough? The team of our Career Service can help you with these and other questions on preparing yourself for entry into a profession. Simply arrange an appointment with us.