UCL Career Fairs receives mixed reviews from students
Students attend UCL Career Fairs to learn more about a variety of industries and gain a competitive edge in the job market. Photo Courtesy: "Office 2.1", remysharp, Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
UCL launched a series of sector-themed career fairs this month, featuring a range of employers, from international organisations to smaller businesses. Students can find out about current opportunities, get information on hiring processes, and network with recruitment personnel.
The events kicked off with the Management Consultancy Fair on October 11th, followed by the Banking, Finance & Economics Fair on the 18th and 19th. The Law Fair took place on the October 23rd.
When Pi correspondents arrived, the North and South cloisters were flooded with students. Many were asking employers about their companies and opportunities, with a few going further to submit their CVs and connect with recruitment personnel on LinkedIn.
A considerable number of employers were present. Some of them offered merchandise, brochures and QR codes used to register for career opportunities.
Long queues were seen at many exhibits, with waiting times up to 15 minutes for some recruiters. Many students failed to visit all employers within the given time slot.
A second-year undergraduate said the wait is too long for the limited value offered by employers. After hearing from 5 to 6 recruiters, she “gave up” and started collecting snacks from the rest.
Another second-year student shared her sentiments and asked for more time slots to ease the human traffic. But he commended UCL Careers for inviting smaller companies to share about their programmes, which he could not find online.
A final-year student also found the career fairs useful. He stayed for 2 hours to take down the names of “every single recruitment personnel”, which will form part of his application to top firms in the banking and finance sectors.
Upcoming Career Fairs
Next up will be the IT & Technology Fair on the 25th and 26th, with recruiters in software, consultancy, big data and more. Different employers will be present on each day, so students are welcome to book both days.
The series of events will end with the Engineering & The Built Environment Fair on October 30th.
All career fairs will take place in the North and South Cloisters, starting from 4.00 PM.
Some employers indicated on UCL Career’s event page may not show up.
How to register
Students studying all disciplines can sign up for the upcoming career fairs on UCL Career’s website. As of October 22nd, places are still available for all events.
Students are required to show their UCL ID card upon arrival. Those who repeatedly skip events without cancelling will be blocked from booking events in advance.