The 10th HVG Job Fair, National Training and Career Days is going to be organized in Budapest in 26-27th September 2012. The event is one of the biggest career and training fairs in Hungary, where visitors can not only browse through Hungarian and international job opportunities, but can select from training offers as well.

Apart from fluency in Hungarian the vast majority of the exhibitors look for youngsters with good command of English, German and other modern languages, so their offers target students from abroad currently staying in Hungary as well.

According to the organisers the key to effective participation is to know what you want and how to achieve it. Below you will find the advice of the organisers which on the one hand help you to get prepared to the job fairs effectively, and on the other hand serves the basis during a job-seeking campaign.

Think over the fields where you could imagine your future, what jobs you are looking for, and have a close concept of your professional objectives.

Map employers who offer opportunities that suit your plans. Make a shortlist of the companies where on the basis of your impression, you could imagine your future.

Clarify your concept and narrow your list to a maximum of 15-20 exhibitors. Gather as much information as you can, then take notes of your questions.

Compare the expectations of the selected companies with your knowledge, experience and skills. If you find any weak points, try to find out how you can tackle these and how much time you need to overcome them.

Your CV is your business card. Take on you as many CVs with photos as many companies you would like to visit. If the working language of the company is not Hungarian, it is important to have your CV in the target language, stating adequate level of your proficiency.

Dress worthy of the occasion, be neat, since the first impression is the key to success. You do not have to wear suits or costumes at the job fair. For ladies a skirt with a blouse, for the gentlemen a shirt with trousers combination is recommended.

Questions reflecting your competence open the doors. Take advantage of the situation and gather every piece of information of your interest. Dare to ask. On the basis of the answer it is easier to decide whether the job really suits you or not.

Ask what you may expect, and when you will be noticed on the results of the job tender. Tell the company that you will be in touch in some weeks. If you have questions after the event, get in touch with the exhibitor.

The spring job fair season is about to begin soon. Gábor Toldi, the managing director of HVG HR Center, helped us to talk over the typical questions a visitor would ask, and which information may be of great help if one wants to participate with success at a job fair.

Why is it worth visiting a job fair? 

Gábor Toldi: The majority of the visitors think that the exhibiting employers offer instant job offers, in other words if they go the fair they can automatically start in a new position within days. Reality is quite different though. Exhibitors rarely offer positions on spot, since they would like to think over who to employ to a given open position first. Most of the time, they prefer pre-filtering at the fairs, so they link the collection of CVs with the first personal meeting. 

T.G.: Basically the objective of job fairs is to establish contacts easier and to provide – by granting opportunity to meet in person – better conditions for the candidating visitors. Job fairs are ideal for those who would like to know what opportunities they may have in a job search campaign. At the HVG Job Fair apart from gathering direct information on the business of different enterprises, programmes and counselling assists job seekers along with further training opportunities for the interested, who may select from not only Hungarian, but international job offers and apprentice positions.

T.G.: Primarily the exhibitors look for mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, financial professionals, IT experts and economists, and Hungarian shared centres look for employees having a high command of languages regardless of profession. An increasing demand for professionals with an active knowledge of at least one foreign language characterises a new trend.

T.G.: HVG Job Fair launched a new feature last year so those who cannot attend the event can also browse the homepage of the event and even apply for the jobs posted. By offering practical advice, voting and forums to make communication with the exhibitors easier, not to mention the point collecting game with valuable prizes, the website supports the success of young job hunters.. 

• A successful job interview – mini workshop in English focusing on getting prepared to job interviews

• The link between speaking languages and career in the 21st century

• Getting a job – how it works, memories from the diary of a career advisor

• Realistic salary expectations

• What is behind the job advertisements

• From job hunting to the management