Careers Fest activities

Brand Awareness are one of our most popular types of event at Loughborough University. They are a great opportunity to meet with high numbers of students on an individual basis, in an informal setting.

These activities are particularly useful for companies wishing to raise their profile as a recruiter amongst a wider student body.

Concepts that have been popular by attracting high volumes of students, and resulted in successful outcomes for employers are:

• Coffee carts, handing out free hot drinks.
• Food carts, such as waffles, popcorn machines or sweets.
• Interactive games, such as a ‘spin the wheel’ where students could win a gift voucher or merchandise from your organisation.

Presentations are a great opportunity to introduce students to your company and for you to upskill students to receive better quality applications.

We recommend giving a 15-minute introduction about your organisation, a 20-minute upskilling session, followed bya Q&A and networking to finish the event.

Some example topics for employer presentations include:

• A ‘day in the life’ account from a recent graduate (preferably an alumni of the University).
• Making effective applications.
• Online interview techniques; standing out from the crowd.
• Employer tests – top tips on how to succeed.

Mock Assessment Centre’s allow you to raise your organisations profile on campus and interact with our most pro-active and engaged students, to give them a higher chance of being successful in your recruitment process.

These sessions are open to students from all year groups and disciplines and take place both in-person and virtually.

In-person Mock Assessment Centre

Around 60-90 students attend these sessions.

You will be asked to:

• Contribute a segment in an opening talk. This could consist of a short introduction to your organisation, along with tips and advice on how to be successful in assessment centres.
• Observe and advise students taking part in an interview exercise. This is exclusive to in-person sessions and allows you the opportunity to invite any standout students for a fast-track interview.
• Deliver a realistic group exercise of your choice during a breakout room session. You will be asked to provide general feedback at the end of the session and be given the chance of a Q&A.

Dates: TBC

Virtual Mock Assessment Centres

These sessions attract around 30-40 students.

You will be asked too:

• Contribute a segment in an opening talk. This could consist of a short introduction to your organisation, along with tips and advice on how to be successful in assessment centres.
• Deliver a realistic group exercise of your choice during a breakout room session. You will be asked to provide general feedback at the end of the session and be given the chance of a Q&A.

Date: TBC

The Diversity and Inclusion Team are hosting a range of Employer Panel Sessions this academic year, which will each focus on a different topic. Employers will have the opportunity to offer an insight into their organisation, on a panel of diverse employees with varying grades/roles to our students.

• Talk about your journey and how you got to the position from university to work or equivalent (good and bad).
• Offering an introduction to your organisation, along with tips and advice on how to be successful during application process.
• Realities of being part of an underrepresented group in the world of work.
• Opportunities for progression/where the role can take you.
• Q&A.
• Networking with students.

Dates: TBC

If you wish to get involved, please contact future.talent@mailbox.lboro.ac.uk for further information.

The Early Futures Team run a series of workshops as part of Kickstart Your Career and Elevate Your Prospects bootcamp, and are keen to share up-to-date employability and recruitment information with our students. There will be opportunities for employers to:

• Share top tips for the recruitment process (CVs, Cover Letters, Personal Branding and Interviews and Assessment Centres)
• Support our students with networking skills during in-person events.
• Share your experience or personal story about how you successfully used /developed networking skills to secure an opportunity.
• Offer an introduction to your organisation and share about what you are looking for during careers fairs. 
• Share tips about what you are looking for in CVs and during Interviews. 
• Personal Branding.

For more information, please email Personalbest@lboro.ac.uk 

Target Connect

Target Connect is our exclusive advertising portal for Loughborough cohorts. This will give you complete control to advertise the student work opportunities or graduate roles, set preferred deadlines, view applications, shortlist candidates and manage interviews in the way that fits with your timescales best.

You can register onto Target Connect for free. Once you have completed the registration this will be manually validated after which you will be able to log on and start the process of advertising.

If you have any issues with the platform or registering, then please contact the team that manage this platform at Employer.Vacancies@lboro.ac.uk

Target Emails

Target emails provide Employers with the opportunity to send information detailing vacancies and graduate recruitment initiatives directly to our students. This is a great way to target specific groups of students via the University email account.

We can target students by School – one or more – and by year group.  Prices vary depending on your selection. Please contact employer.services@mailbox.lboro.ac.uk to find out more.

The University takes its responsibility for the environment seriously and understands the need to respond to the challenges we face globally around issues such as climate change, human wellbeing, food, water and energy security.

Please help us to respond to these challenges by making greener choices when it comes to your event. This can be achieved by:

• Bring a reusable travel cup and a water bottle with you. We have plenty of water fountains and café’s around campus for you to refill your cup.
• Avoiding single-use plastics in giveaways/merchandise.
• Reduce waste by using reusable resources that can be used at other events.
• Using public transport when visiting the University. A train station is situated 10 minutes away from the university, and buses run regularly onto campus.
• Avoid food items that are individually wrapped in plastic. Instead, bring items in recyclable or re-useable packaging.
• Reduce carbon emissions by phasing out merchandise made from textiles, like tote bags.
• Favour products manufactured from recycled materials rather than virgin material.

1. Bookings

1.1 Bookings do not automatically guarantee you a place. Your booking is confirmed when we have notified you by email.

1.2 If at any time prior to the date of the event, the Employer or Booking Agent wishes to amend their booking, the Organiser will endeavour to facilitate such changes.

1.3 It is the responsibility of the person booking the event on behalf of the organisation to make the attendees aware of the rules set out in this document.

1.4 The Organiser reserves the right to refuse a booking for any reason whatsoever without liability.

1.5 The Organiser reserves the right to amend or cancel the event at any time.

2. Cancellations

2.1 Full payment will still be required in the event of any non-attendance by the Employer on the day of the Event.

2.2 The Employer or Booking Agent must notify the Organiser if they wish to cancel a booking for the Event in writing by emailing employer.services@lboro.ac.uk. In the event of a cancellation the following charges are applied in line with the costs incurred by the Organisers:

3. Cancellation by the Organiser

3.1 The Organiser reserves the right to cancel the Event and Employer’ bookings at any time should any events occur out of its reasonable control (“Force Majeure Event”). Force Majeure Events shall include but shall not be limited to:

A. Inclement weather

B. Power failure

C. Terrorism or threat of terrorism

D. Natural catastrophe such as earthquake, flood, fire.

E. Epidemic or pandemic

F. Any law or any action taken by a government or public authority.

3.2 If the Event is cancelled as a result of a Force Majeure Event, the Organiser shall not be in breach and will not be liable for any costs incurred by the Employers, Booking Agent or any other agent or third party they have employed on their behalf.

3.3 The Organiser shall not be liable to pay compensation for any loss sustained or inconvenience caused as a result, or in any way arising, out of any changes to the Event as a result of a Force Majeure Event.

4. Payment

4.1 All charges shall be subject to VAT at the then current rate unless a VAT exemption has been agreed.

4.2 The Employer will be required to make payment prior to the event on the online store unless an agreement has been made with the Organiser for payment to be made differently.

4.3 If payment is outstanding prior to the Event, the Organiser reserves the right to refuse access.

4.4 Until such time as any outstanding debt has been paid, the Organiser has the right to prohibit the Employers from future events.

5. Electricity/Audio Visual/Sound Equipment

5.1 The organiser will endeavour to supply the employer with a power supply providing the venue has power.

5.2 Any electrical equipment must be PAT tested and marked as such. Where there is question the Organiser reserves the right to refuse permission for the use of equipment.

5.3 The employer will be responsible for covering any exposed cables with matting, when providing their own power supply. This is to reduce trip hazards.

5.4 No music may be played, or amplified sound permitted at the event without prior permission. A music licence also needs to be obtained to play music.

6. On the day

6.1 The Organiser is unable to guarantee student numbers on the day.

6.2 The Organiser is unable to take any responsibility for any lost or damaged goods.

7. Disclaimer

7.1 The Employer is responsible for any equipment they bring onto the University campus.

7.2 Loughborough University does not accept any liability for the loss, damage or disappearance of any property brought onto the University campus by the Employer in connection with the Event.

7.3 The Organiser shall not accept any liability in respect of death or personal injury to members of the event, unless it is shown that the death or personal injury was due to the negligence of the Organiser or other persons authorised by the University.

7.4 The limitations in this section extend to employees, agents or other third parties authorised to attend the event on behalf of the Employers.

7.5 Loughborough University reserves the right to decline a booking request for any reason whatsoever.

8. Health and safety

8.1 The sale of alcohol at events on site is STRICTLY prohibited unless it has been booked through the University’s Catering Team and is sold, distributed, and offered at the event by them. Alcohol is prohibited to be used as a giveaway item at brand awareness events.

8.2 When holding a skills session, presentation or networking event, food and drink must be supplied by the University catering department.

8.3 The University does not permit external caterers on site whereby there is a charge to customers. Where food is to be provided free of charge permission to use external caterers still needs to be sought from the events team and the University’s inhouse Catering Team before any booking should be finalised. The vendor will need to fill out a questionnaire and agree to our ‘third-party caterers’ policy’. This is to ensure they are complying with government and University guidelines.

8.4 The employer must supply the Organiser with a risk assessment and state how allergies will be managed, and perishables will be stored. The Organiser might ask for additional documentation which the employer must supply for certain elements of an event to go ahead.

8.5 Visitors should observe the University's No Smoking Policy at all times.

8.6 If food or beverage is being given as part of promotional activities, the Employer accepts full liability for any injury caused. Loughborough University will not accept any liability in this regard. This should also be approved prior to the event.

8.7 If wind speeds are predicted above 25 mph or gusts above 35mph temporary structure should not be erected.

8.8 Visitors are not permitted to bring any item onto the University's premises that could endanger others (e.g., hazardous equipment such as gas cylinders, halogen gas or unmaintained equipment).

8.9 Pets and other animals are not permitted on any University premises. The only exceptions to this are guide dogs for the blind, hearing dogs for the deaf and other working dogs that assist people with disabilities.

8.10 Employers are under a Duty of Care to report situations they believe to be potentially hazardous. In the context of fire prevention this may be something which could lead to an outbreak of fire (e.g. unsafe storage of flammable materials) or something which would hinder the safe evacuation of the premises in the event of a fire (e.g. obstruction of fire escapes).

8.11 For certain reasons, some brands are banned from being on campus. Please consultant with the Organiser about which brands you can bring.