If your school or college is putting on a careers fair, it’s worth thinking about what to ask before you go. A careers fair gives you the chance to speak to someone already working in a role. It’s a great chance to get an inside take on a number of different jobs. Planning your questions ahead can help so what should you ask? Here are some ideas to get you thinking.
Before you go, look at the list of attendees. Are there some jobs that really appeal to you? Others where you hve no idea what it might involve? Make a note of people you really want to talk to – and take a chance and chat with those where you don’t know what the career might be like too.
When you are talking to someone on their stand you could ask:
What is you typical day like? This could help you find out the pace of work, how early they start and late they finish, the highs and lows of the day.
What subjects are most helpful to study? This is a key question if you think you might want to follow this career.
What sort of person does this career suit? Do you need to be a people-person. Should you love working with your hands? Do you need to have a good technical knowledge. This can help you refine if it is a good career for you.
What are the challenges working in this role? All jobs have some challenges. Find out about them up front and you can go into the role with your eyes open.
What do you love about your job? See if the person really lights up when talking about the parts of the job they like. Consider, if they love their job, would you love it too?
Find out more about lots of different careers by looking at our careeer guides. And let us know which questions have helped you find out the information you need at a careers fair.