Leaving the house at half five and thinking to myself ‘it’s an Ag careers fair! What good is that going to do for me?’ little did I know that my day in Coventry was going to be the inspiration I needed to begin the application process for my next career.
It has been a little over a month since the Farmers Weekly Ag Careers Live event and it’s safe to say that that day gave me a lot to think about. Heading up to Coventry on the day, I was very sceptical. I had originally agreed to go to keep my boyfriend company thinking; I am an equine girl what am I going to get out of it. The job stands will all be for farmers, I’m just going to be in a room full of Ags. I am now ashamed to admit that, because my ‘ag filled day’ turned out to be incredibly beneficial. On arrival at the Ricoh Arena the scene was something similar to the first day of school, a room filled with awkward students and graduates lining the walls not wanting to venture into the middle to discuss their futures. But as more and more people began to file in noise stared to brew and students found their way and began communicating with the not so scary industry professionals. There was a wide range on offer; from Farmers Weekly themselves to various different colleges, recruiters and mechanical specialists.
Still in the closed mind set I began to weave my way in and out of people feeling incredibly old as most of the demographic was school leavers not university graduates. However there were a few and we seemed to congregate around the careers board. This aspect among many others such as talks, virtual experience rooms and CV clinics were a great addition to the fair and ones I hope they keep in forthcoming years. It was here that I realised I should make the most of my time and start circulating. I spoke to a variety of different people, some in the field in which I would like to branch into and some not, gaining advice on the next steps, people to talk to and possible courses to take. I made contacts and I managed to speak to the editor of Farmers Weekly gaining some crucial advice about the next steps.
It’s always nice when you walk away from a day like that having had a surprise and my surprise was getting to speak the NFU. Having had very little to do with the NFU other than their insurance sector I was intrigued to find out about their graduate programmes and the wide variety of journalism that they cover. My fifteen minute chat with them helped me secure a major contact which has helped me in my career development.
So my advice for anyone attending an Ag Careers Fair or any other careers fair for that matter is:
Don’t make the mistake I did, don’t go in closed or narrow mined. It is what you make it so circulate, talk to people, and put your name out there.
Talk to everyone, not just the jobs you want to get into or the courses you want to take but everyone. You never know, if they can’t help you directly they may be able to provide you with the details of someone who can or give you with that ever sought after advice.
If they have different resources in place use them. Such as; CV Clinics, Talks or mentor corners.
A silly one I know but take your time. Don’t rush in and don’t panic everyone is there for the same reason as you and remember to present yourself well.
And finally one that I forgot and wish I hadn’t, don’t forget to print and take some CVs.
