Placement Readiness Weeks
Students listen to company talks. Few know what to ask.
A company talk is often a chance missed. Students sit through a presentation and ask whether the package is good. This session puts a professional in front of the batch to explain how their company looks at fresh graduates, and then teaches students to ask questions that help them.
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A talk is useful only if students know what to listen for.
Employers visit campuses to explain themselves and to find candidates. Students usually attend to see the company and sometimes to impress someone. Few come with questions that would help them decide whether to apply or how to prepare.
The talk in this session is by a person who works at an employer and takes part in hiring. They explain how their company looks at fresh graduates, in their own words. They speak for themselves. They do not speak for every company, and we say so.
A speaker may explain their work and their company's process. A speaker may not sell a product, a course or a service, and this is told to them before they come.
What the session covers
18 topics across 4 areas. Four parts. The talk comes first, the learning to ask comes after it.
The TalkHow this company looks at a fresh graduate.5
- The kind of work a fresher does in the first year
- How applications are read and shortlisted
- What the rounds are meant to find out
- What makes a candidate stand out, and what makes one drop out
- What the company expects of a fresher in the first few months
One employer's view, honestly given. It is not a rule for every company.
Reading a Job DescriptionWhat the role is really asking.4
- Separating what is needed from what is nice to have
- Understanding the words a company uses for a role
- Matching a role to your own projects and interests
- Spotting a role that is not what it sounds like
Asking Better QuestionsQuestions that help you decide and prepare.5
Questions about pay and benefits are fair and students may ask them. But a student who asks only about these learns little about the work. Students are shown how to ask both kinds.
- Asking what a fresher actually does, week to week
- Asking how a new joiner is trained and supported
- Asking what the company looks for beyond the test scores
- Asking what a good first year looks like
- Asking politely, briefly, and after listening
Behaving Like a CandidateThe process begins before the first round.4
- Replying to messages and emails promptly and politely
- Arriving on time, in person or online
- Being honest about what you know and what you do not
- Thanking the people who gave you their time
Questions students may ask the speaker
- What does a fresher actually work on in the first year?
- What do you wish more candidates had practised?
- What do you notice in a resume in the first minute?
- How can a student from a smaller college show their ability?
- What would you do differently, in preparing, if you were in the final year?
What students leave with
- Notes on how one employer looks at fresh graduates
- A short list of questions to carry to any company talk
- A way to read a job description for what matters
- A clearer sense of what to practise next
How the session runs
The speaker talks for a short time. A facilitator then helps students turn what they heard into questions, and the speaker answers them. The length, the speaker and the format are agreed with the college. The speaker comes as a volunteer and does not recruit, advertise or collect student details during the session.
What your students leave with
- A clearer picture of how one employer looks at fresh graduates
- The difference between what a company advertises and what it tests
- Better questions to ask at a company talk or a campus visit
- How to read a job description for what the role needs
- What behaviour the process rewards, from the first round to the last
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
A company talk is a chance to learn how hiring works. Help students use it.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.