Careers & Job Opportunities | Study Abroad – UK
Networking Events for Exeter University Students
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Careers & Job Opportunities | Study Abroad – UK
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Summary
Discover how Exeter students can attend careers fairs, employer events, alumni activities and mentoring opportunities to build professional connections.
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Meeting the right people can help students understand industries, discover career options and build professional confidence. Networking Events for Exeter Students provide opportunities to meet employers, alumni and professionals through careers fairs, employer events, presentations and other activities.
The University of Exeter's Career Zone supports students in using these events effectively. This guide explains where students can find networking opportunities, how to prepare and how professional connections can support long-term career development.
Networking at Exeter is not simply about asking an employer for a job. The University's Career Zone explains that good networking is about building lasting professional connections, exchanging information and learning from others. Conversations with professionals, alumni and other students can help you understand sectors, organisations and career routes.
Exeter provides several ways for students to meet employers and professionals, including:
Frequently Ask Question
Careers fairs
Employer presentations
Employer events
Alumni panels
Career networking fairs
Career Mentor Scheme
Employer drop-ins
Virtual, in-person and hybrid events
Many of these opportunities are advertised through My Career Zone, Exeter's career development platform. Students can use the platform to discover employers, book events, attend careers fairs and access other career services.
The main purpose is to help students have meaningful conversations and gain a better understanding of the professional world.
Careers fairs are one of the most direct ways for Exeter students to meet employers.
The University describes its careers fairs as opportunities to access a range of employers offering part-time work, internships, placements and graduate opportunities. These events are open to Exeter students across different years and disciplines, with graduates also welcome at the University's listed fairs.
Different fairs can have different focuses. Exeter's programme has included general careers fairs as well as fairs focused on areas such as STEM, law, ecology, conservation, environment and other sectors. The exact programme changes over time, so students should check the current listings rather than relying on an old event schedule.
A careers fair gives students the chance to speak directly with organisations.
Instead of only reading about an employer online, students can ask questions and learn about:
The organisation and its industry
Types of roles available
Skills employers value
Recruitment processes
Career routes into a sector
What it is like to work in a particular field
This makes a careers fair useful for both students who already have a career direction and those who are still exploring.
Exeter also runs Prepare for the Fair sessions to help students understand what careers fairs offer and how to make the most of them. These sessions can be booked through My Career Zone.
Careers fairs are not the only way to meet employers.
Exeter's Streatham campus hosts a range of virtual, in-person and hybrid employability and employer events. These can include employer presentations, alumni panels, careers fairs and other activities.
Employer presentations can be particularly useful because they allow students to hear directly from organisations about their sector and career opportunities.
A presentation can help answer questions such as:
What does this industry look like?
What types of roles are available?
What skills are useful?
What does the recruitment process involve?
What does an employer look for in candidates?
Students can then use what they learn to guide their future career decisions.
Exeter's Career Zone also advertises employer and alumni events through My Career Zone, so students should check the platform regularly.
Networking does not have to mean talking only to recruiters.
Exeter's Career Zone highlights alumni as an important source of career information. Speaking with someone who has already studied at Exeter and moved into a professional career can give students a different perspective on an industry or career route.
The University also provides an Exeter LinkedIn Alumni tool, which allows users to research alumni by information such as subject, job title, company and location.
This can help students identify people whose career paths they would like to understand better.
Networking can feel uncomfortable, especially if you have never spoken to a professional before. Exeter's guidance recognises that many people dislike networking when it feels transactional or self-serving.
A better approach is to focus on learning rather than asking for something immediately.
For example, instead of starting with "Can you give me a job?", students can ask a professional about their industry, career path or experience.
Useful questions might include:
How did you get started in this industry?
What skills are important in your role?
What do you enjoy about your work?
What advice would you give someone entering this sector?
What changes are happening in your industry?
What would you recommend a student learn before applying?
These questions can create a more natural conversation.
Exeter's networking guidance explains that conversations can help students expand their understanding, gain ideas and advice, and become more confident communicating with others.
The aim is to build genuine professional relationships over time.
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Good networking starts before you arrive at an event.
Students should take a few simple steps to prepare.
Use My Career Zone to find out what the event is about, when it takes place and which employers or professionals are involved.
My Career Zone allows students to search for events and book places.
If an event includes several employers, spend some time learning about the organisations you are most interested in.
You do not need to know everything. A basic understanding of what an organisation does can make conversations much easier.
Going into an event without anything to ask can make networking difficult.
Prepare a few simple questions based on your interests. You can then adapt them depending on who you meet.
Students should be able to introduce themselves clearly.
A simple introduction can include:
Your name + your course + your year of study + what area interests you.
You do not need a long speech. The purpose is to start a conversation.
Networking is not just about talking.
Listening carefully can help you learn more about an industry and make the conversation more meaningful.
Once you arrive, avoid trying to speak to every employer in the room.
Instead, focus on having a few useful conversations.
A good approach is:
Stage | What to do |
Start | Introduce yourself naturally |
Ask | Use a relevant question |
Listen | Pay attention to the response |
Discuss | Share your interests briefly |
Learn | Take note of useful information |
Close | Thank the person for their time |
Follow up | Continue the connection where appropriate |
The University of Exeter recommends thinking about how to make a good and lasting impression and planning what action you will take after an event to consolidate what you learned and the connections you made.
This final step is often overlooked.
The conversation should not necessarily end when the event finishes.
If you have a meaningful conversation with an employer, alumni or professional, consider how you can maintain the connection professionally.
For example, you may:
Connect on LinkedIn when appropriate
Review the organisation's career information
Follow up on something discussed
Use the information to research the industry further
Attend another relevant event
The purpose is not to immediately ask for a job.
Exeter's networking guidance explains that networking is about career conversations, information and support, rather than simply getting a job or internship.
Over time, these conversations can help students build a broader professional network and understand career options more clearly.
For students looking for a more structured professional connection, Exeter offers the Career Mentor Scheme.
The scheme can match current UK and international students, as well as eligible Exeter graduates, with experienced professionals. Mentors provide sector-specific advice and guidance over a six-month period. Participants normally meet their mentor for monthly sessions.
The scheme can help students gain:
Sector insight
Professional advice
Career guidance
Greater confidence
A better understanding of career choices
Professional connections
The University also states that participants may be invited to networking events during the scheme, providing opportunities to meet other students and mentors.
This is different from attending a one-day careers fair because the relationship develops over a longer period.
My Career Zone is the main place students should check for Exeter career events.
The platform allows students to:
Find employer events
Book careers fairs
Discover alumni events
Explore employers
Attend career activities
Access other Career Zone services
Exeter recommends visiting My Career Zone regularly because event listings and opportunities are continuously updated.
Events may be delivered in person, virtually or in a hybrid format, so students can have different ways to engage with employers and professionals.
This is particularly useful for students who may feel nervous about attending a large event in person. A virtual presentation can be a simpler way to start building confidence.
Professional networking can support career development in several ways.
First, it can improve career awareness. Speaking with people already working in a sector can reveal information that students may not find through a simple online search.
Second, it can build communication confidence. The more students practise professional conversations, the easier those conversations can become. Exeter specifically identifies communication confidence as one benefit of networking.
Third, networking can expand professional knowledge. Students may discover industries, roles or career paths they had not previously considered.
Finally, professional connections can provide useful perspectives when students are making career decisions.
However, networking is not a shortcut into employment. Exeter's guidance makes this clear: the real value is in building relationships, exchanging information and learning from others.
For Bangladeshi students planning to study at Exeter, building professional connections can become an important part of adapting to the UK professional environment.
Shabuj Global Education (SGE) helps students manage the wider process of studying in the UK, from choosing a suitable Exeter course to preparing for their journey.
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Ongoing Support: Continued guidance after enrolment as you progress through your UK study journey.
Understanding how Exeter connects students with employers before you apply can help you make a more informed decision about your university experience.
Networking Events for Exeter Students provide practical opportunities to meet employers, alumni and professionals. Through careers fairs, employer presentations, alumni activities, mentoring and other events, students can learn about industries and develop professional confidence.
The best approach is simple: prepare before the event, have genuine conversations, listen carefully and follow up professionally. Networking is not about collecting as many contacts as possible. It is about building useful relationships and learning from people with experience.
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ReadCareer and Employability Support at Exeter for the complete overview of Exeter's career support. This guide focuses specifically on employer connections and professional networking, while the other child articles cover career planning, work experience and graduate support.
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