By Valerie Clarberg 

Our research shows students consider career fairs to be amongst the three most useful communication channels when wanting to know more about an employer (click on thumbnails below to see graphs). 

Most universities around the globe organise career fairs for their students once or twice a year. In many schools these events are undertaken by the schools’ career services department, where great resources are allocated. The University of Leeds’ career services, for instance, employs approximately 50 people, all of them dedicated to helping students choose the right employer and career path. However not all schools have such an extensive consulting staff that students can rely on, by contrast the Rotterdam School of Management only employs about 3 career services employees. At schools such as these, the student association is usually a strong community which takes on the responsibility of organising a career fair. Universities lacking the resources to arrange such a large event can therefore take inspiration of how these student unions manage a fair, and eventually convey similar ideas to their own students. 

Universum has taken a closer look into the career fair at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE), Handelsdagarna, organised by the school’s student association in order to get a better understanding of its arrangement. The president of the career fair committee of 2011 Caroline Lundström and the head of corporate relations Anna Widmark were interviewed to explain the procedures of the event.  Here are some tips for success:   

• Be well organised and divide the tasks
A total of 140 students are actively contributing to materialise the Handelsdagarna. A committee of about 10 students is formed every year to organise the following year’s career fair. Approximately 30 students are divided into three project groups supervised by the committee, each in charge of marketing and communications, operations and events and company relations. An additional 100 functionaries are engaged during the Handelsdagarna week itself, to assist the companies and finalise the details.   

• Plan ahead
Because the fair is such a complex two-day event with so many people involved, it requires almost a year’s planning in advance. The recruitment of members alone is divided into three phases occurring over a period of several months: the committee selection, the project groups’ recruitment, and finally the employment of the 100 functionaries. Moreover, as approximately 70 companies are expected to participate at the fair, initial contact with these needs to happen a couple of months in advance as well.   

• Diversify the event
Instead of just organising a career fair with company stands, arrange interview sessions, set up a lounge and an evening banquet too. Some students already know which companies they would like to meet, and rather than having to fight for attention at the stands, the interview sessions would allow them to get even better acquainted with the employers. As the fair, though exciting, is also very tiring for both professionals and students, having a lounge with refreshments is a perfect way to make the entire day a more pleasurable experience. Get product companies to sponsor with drinks and snacks, as it will promote their products simultaneously. Furthermore the evening banquets for career fair members and company representatives are a terrific way to end a hard day’s work!   

• Point out the advantages of being part of this event
The SSE students are not paid for their hard work even though it requires loads of their individual time. However three primary benefits were mentioned that made the entire project worth it: the practical experience, the fun and the strong sense of fellowship. Needless to say arranging such an event is an invaluable experience for their future career and even personal growth. More importantly however is the development of their tight bond and enjoyment of working together, which are certainly key components to their successful results.    

To get more information on Handelsdagarna, visit the website: http://handelsdagarna.hhss.se/