The online event attracted around 300 people. They heard from Claire Angus, Head of Recruitment Gateway at Cambridge Network, who – joined by Gerald Carew from interSTEM recruitment – led a discussion on the current climate, outlining the range of vacancies available right now in the area and featured on the Network site.
Company presentations and Q&A sessions followed from prospective employers including Arthur Rank Hospice, Bridge Partners and Bridge Fibre, and Kvasir Analytics.
Participants also had the opportunity to benefit from a free Belbin Self-Perception Report - a valuable tool to assess an individual's capabilities, usually costing £42. Everyone who signed up was also able to log in to hear Jo Keeler, Managing Partner at Belbin (pictured), who explained how to read a report, and ran a workshop entitled 'Exploring using your strengths to project the best you!'
Further advice and support came from Katherine Wiid - Recruitment & Retention, Career Management, and Coach from Career Ambitions who ran a one-hour workshop: 'An unexpected side effect of coronavirus: Career Resilience.'
Adds Claire Angus: “Belbin kindly ran a group report on all attendees at the fair. Although it was a random group, it indicated the calibre of the candidates we attract – all of whom were clearly ‘thinking professionals’. Local employers who want to identify such individuals may well want to take part in our next or future fairs.”
Feedback from the event has been universally positive, with candidate comments including:
- I want to thank you for organising the Virtual Career Fair. It opened my eyes to the range of careers available, and it allowed me to think about what I want in the future. Without you organising it, I would be sitting in the dark. Thank you tremendously.
- It has been a really interesting day and I have loved the two-afternoon [careers] sessions!
- Thanks very much for this event - really helpful, especially the Belbin profile. Always interesting to see how your responses change over time as you evolve in your career!
- Thanks for organising and to all those involved - I found it a really useful event and took a lot away from it.
Cambridge Network's next recruitment event is planned for Thursday 10th September. Employers are invited to contact Claire Angus if you would like to be involved.
See Cambridge Network’s YouTube playlist for videos of recent events