Accessibility: The Spring Careers Fair

The Spring Careers Fair will take place on the 19th March 2023.  The event will welcome a large group of employers and organisations for students and recent graduates to network with. Here is some accessibility information about the event. 

Location: Colyer-Fergusson Concert Hall

You can view the location on a map here. 

This event is a large space which is on the ground floor. Entry can be made through the entrance of the The Gulbenkian which has accessible automatic doors. There is a disabled toilet nearby in The Gulbenkian Cafe area.  

Calm Admission

We know that a career fair can be daunting. Crowds can make some individuals feel anxious or cause concerns about physical access. 

The Careers and Employability service will be starting the Careers Fair with a calmer 1 hour slot. We'll begin to admit visitors to the exhibition space from 10:00, the space itself will take a calm and quieter approach. This is intended to give you time to meet with employers and organisations in a less crowded space before our main event begins (you are of course welcome to stay for this too!). 

We have tried to provide as much information as we can below, without overwhelming you. You don’t need to read it all at once. The important thing is to have an honest conversation with yourself.  

Is there something specific that is worrying you? Have we answered it here? If we haven’t please get in touch via careerhelp@kent.ac.uk (using Calm Admission in the subject line) or calling us 01227 823299.  

The Careers Fair is an opportunity for you to meet employers and organisations offering graduate and undergraduate opportunities ranging from Graduate Schemes, Year in Industry placements and Summer Internships to Insight Days. 

 What is the set up? 

• The concert hall will be attended by a group exhibitors who will each have a stall. There will be 30 organisations attending. 

• The fair offers a variety of exhibitors –  regional companies, SMEs and charities from a variety of sectors so they are worth seeing. 

• You can find out about the exhibitors on the website and download a hall map. We will also have hall maps available on the day. 

What happens on the day? 

• Calm Admission is from 10:00 - 11:00.  

• We will scan your KentOne card so that we can record the number of people who came on the day and so you can claim Employability points for coming along. Don’t worry if you have forgotten your card – give us your Kent login username instead. 

• The Careers Fair opens to all students at 11:00 and finishes at 15:00 

• If you need help or want to ask a question we have plenty of staff and student helpers on the day. We can point out where employers are situated and are happy to help you make that first step. We will all be wearing staff lanyards.  
  We are not too busy to help you or direct you to someone who can. 

Please note: 

• The Careers Fair is not a club or festival – you will not be refused re-entry. If this means we scan your KentOne card 3, 4 or 5 times it doesn’t matter, we’ll remove any duplicates from our attendance figures later. 

• The whole event runs for 4 hours so take your time and if you need a break, take a break. 

Prepare for short conversations with representatives of a variety of organisations. Quite often companies send new graduates as well as experienced recruiters so you can talk to someone who has recently been in your position. If they can, they send along a Kent Alumni!  

Make yourself a checklist 

• I have looked at the employer attendee list and decided who to speak with 
• I have researched the employers on my list 
• I have practiced introducing myself  
• I have 2 or 3 questions I can ask 
• I know where to go  
• I have decided what to wear 

Questions you could ask 

• Can you describe your typical day/week? 
• What kinds of problems do you deal with? 
• What do you find the most/least satisfying about your work? 
• Where are the opportunities advertised? 
• Is there a typical career pattern for new professionals? 
• Which parts of this field are expanding and likely to offer opportunities in the future? 
• Are there opportunities for work shadowing or work-experience? 

Mirror, mirror 

• Practice aloud - Talking to yourself in the mirror is so much better than going over it in your head. Imagine an actor never speaking their lines out loud before a performance – how can you feel comfortable if you’ve never heard yourself? 
• Smile – probably the last thing you want someone to say to you but genuinely smiling will help you relax. Smile at yourself before leaving the house. Pop into the toilets at the venue and smile again before coming in. It really works. 

More than likely you have already found a few ways of dealing with your anxiety or panic attacks.  

 Before it happens 

• Do you know what your triggers are? How can you manage these?  

• Can you talk through your anxiety with family or friends? 

• Check out the further information section for other people that can help 

During 

• Breathe – sounds obvious but the trick is to breathe in a calm way. There are plenty of free apps you can download to watch or listen to for guiding breathing  

• Drop your shoulders. This is so simple but really effective as it creates space around your head. It helps with the fight or flight reflex 

• Some people choose to ride it out. Accept that it is who they are and embrace it. 

• Grounding exercises such as this one 

 However, it is worth stressing again. If you need to take a break, do so.