Shortlist employers before a campus careers fair

Define what you want to discover

Choose a practical question such as which organisations offer placements in a particular area, how a role differs across sectors or whether your interests connect to an unfamiliar kind of work. You can have more than one interest without turning the fair into a search for every possible career. Write a brief description of what you want to learn and use it to assess exhibitors. Avoid ranking organisations only by familiar names. A smaller employer or a professional body may provide useful information about a route you had not considered. The purpose of the shortlist is to make the event informative, not to decide your whole future in advance.

Read the current exhibitor information

Check who is actually attending, what opportunities they are advertising and whether different organisations appear on different days. Use their official links to understand basic activities and any stated eligibility for the opportunities you want to discuss. Mark information that is unclear so you can ask at the stand. Do not assume that a company at the fair recruits every subject or study year for every role. Equally, do not rule yourself out based only on a company name. Read the relevant opportunity description and ask the careers team for help if the fair booklet does not explain the range of participation.

Build a short list with different purposes

Select a manageable number of priority stands and label why you want to visit each. You might choose two directly relevant employers, one organisation in an adjacent sector and one source of broader career information. Allow time for queues, conversations and a pause rather than dividing the whole fair into back-to-back appointments. If the event offers talks or bookable sessions, decide whether one is more useful than another stand visit. Keep a few optional exhibitors for spare time. An existing notebook page can hold the list; you do not need a printed portfolio or new stationery collection to make a purposeful visit.

Connect the shortlist to the venue

Check the fair's entry arrangement, location, opening period and available access information. Use the floor plan if provided to group nearby priority stands, but be prepared to change order if a queue is long. If you have a limited window between campus commitments, identify the two conversations that matter most. Ask organisers about quieter attendance options or another arrangement if that would help you participate. Avoid choosing a route that requires crossing the venue repeatedly just to preserve a ranking. The practical plan should make it easy to reach useful conversations while leaving enough attention to listen and ask follow-up questions.

Review the list as you go

After a stand visit, record what you learned and whether a further action is needed. If the conversation reveals a better-fit organisation nearby, adjust the plan. If a priority stand is too busy, ask whether there is another opportunity to speak or use the employer's official contact route afterward. Do not judge the visit solely by how many exhibitors you reached. At the end, choose a small number of actions, such as checking a named placement programme or discussing a sector with a careers adviser. The shortlist has done its job when it produces clearer questions and informed next steps.

Your next steps

• Choose a current career question for the fair.
• Check the latest exhibitor list and official opportunity details.
• Pick a few priority stands with a reason for each.
• Leave time for queues, access needs and unexpected useful conversations.

Keep planning

• Ask useful questions at a careers fair stand
• Prepare for a video interview in a shared student house
• Staff a society fair stall with a clear volunteer rota
• Prepare for a university careers appointment when your question is unclear