Just wondering if those that have been to the careers fair in previous years could give any insights on what to expect on the day; how to get the most from attending the fair in terms of choosing between firms / establishing interest in your candidacy / using fair to springboard having your applications progressed quickly?Any advice or steer from past attendees much appreciated. Mike

In my experience it's in part an opinion-forming and fact-finding day - was useful to speak to as many people as possible so that you left the fair with some strong opinions on the firms you would / would not want to join. In part it was also useful to expedite applications - either through getting the card of a consultant you'd impressed and could therefore send your CV to after the fair (and thereby get fast-tracked to interview); or through simply gaining a better understanding of how the firms' recruitment processes work and therefore how to put your best foot forward when applying to them

I agree with JR&apos;s assessment. Try to win over someone at each of the firms you are interested in, who will push for you to be offered an interview and help fast-track your application. The ideal scenario is that you have consultants who are happy to receive a CV from you and email it on to the recruitment team with a recommendation that the firm interviews you - possible at many firms, though some will insist on you applying through the usual online channels.The lineup of exhibitors is now finalised, so if a number of the firms look of interest then do register for one of the remaining places. Details at:<a href=http://www.theconsultancycareersfair.com/>http://www.theconsultancycareersfair.com/</a>Tony RestellTop-Consultant.com

Is it viable to attend the fair for someone, who is already being turned down for not having experience in consultancy and not having a degree from a top-tier University ?Any constructive comments will get an invisible clap.Thanks !

Wanna be Consultant - being frank, I don&apos;t think you&apos;re going to get any of the major brands to revise their screening criteria, no matter how amazingly you come across at the careers fair. The odd firm will have a policy of making exceptions for really strong candidates that simply don&apos;t have the academics that they are looking for; but most will see these academic hurdles as hard and fast requirements that simply cannot be flexed.It&apos;s been discussed elsewhere on this forum, so I&apos;ll not expand at length here - but the main opening for someone in your position is to try and get a role with one of the small niche firms. These tend to be less structured in their recruitment processes and so more likely to make an exception regarding academic skills. A few of these will be at the Fair, but it would be wrong of me to suggest that the majority of exhibitors would be willing to overlook the academics. I don&apos;t think that&apos;s the case.Tony RestellTop-Consultant.com

Thanks Tony ! Before reading your above posting, I paid £10 to get into MBA zone (Job advertisements), now it seems waste of money+time :-(