It's a far cry from 2008 when the financial crisis hit and there was a much bleaker outlook  for graduates.

Graduates were warned of complacency and that they wouldn’t be walking into jobs like their Celtic tiger counterparts only a few years previously.

In 2008 and 2009, graduates had the carpet pulled from under them as financial services companies and the heavy hitters reduced or halted their recruitment programmes.

Things are changing and the class of 2016/17 should have much more to smile about, according to editor of gradireland Ruairí Kavanagh.

This year’s fair promises something for everyone from across all disciplines, with a special stand for start-ups a new addition.

The gradireland careers fair takes place in the RDS in Dublin, reflecting the growth in the number of employment opportunities for graduates.

Kavanagh is expecting between 8,000-10,000 people to attend the fair this year.

“Last year’s attendance was our biggest yet and this year we’re expecting probably the same if not more. Throughout the recession there were healthy levels of graduate employment but it is demonstrable over the past three years there has been a turn-around in terms of the salary these companies are offering, even for internships.

“Graduates can now see that companies are courting them compared to several years ago in 2008, 2009.

“However, companies have become more demanding of graduates. They expect them to hit the ground running so that’s why they value things like internships. They want graduates who communicate well, can project-manage, work in a team and come up with solutions to problems,” he adds.

“This year, we have a start-up zone which highlights companies in that sphere – the tech sector and the engineering sector. This is also reflected in the seminars – we are holding over 30 seminars which run throughout the day,” he says.

“These seminars drill students in CV skills but also more specific things like white-board interviews. A lot of tech jobs interviews want to you to go in and display your coding skills or tech skills.”

Kavanagh says students from all disciplines should bring along their CV on the day as there are experts available to talk through it with them.

“Some companies are actually interviewing on the day and some companies are flying in to talk to students and hire subsequent to the people they meet on the day,” he says.

While most organisations will be promoting their graduate programmes, they will also be recruiting for immediate job vacancies.

These positions will be visible on “jobs walls” dotted around the RDS, and in a new development for the careers fair, there will be a live interview area with on-the-spot hiring for graduates currently looking for work.

An event app will allow students to directly contact employers along with providing alerts for the starting times of various seminars throughout the day.

“A lot of companies are focusing on next year’s intake but by all means bring along your CV and make sure that it’s up to date and that your LinkedIn profile has all your skills listed and matches what you say,” Kavanagh says.

“In terms of seminars we have one called ‘What can I do with my arts degree’. A lot of companies like EY, Jameson or Rent a Car are actively looking for arts graduates so there are seminars telling you what you can do with your arts degree if you don’t want to do a postgrad,” he says.

“Things you learn in your arts degree like analytical thinking, languages, critical thinking are all transferable and you can get jobs,” he adds.

Kavanagh says all of the big firms who will be filling graduate programmes touch on different areas of business: marketing, sales, product development, HR and accounting, for which they need graduates from all disciplines.

“We have companies from the food and drink industry, fin tech companies and rent a car who all want to talk to arts graduates. It goes to show how the narrative has shifted towards the arts graduates being in a stronger position in terms of what employers are looking for,” he says.

“Start-ups and tech companies need varied graduates – they need people to work in marketing, finance or design. There are always avenues in and what I would say to students is go up to different stands and talk to employers who you wouldn’t usually consider. You will be surprised what they’re looking for,” he says.

Gradireland’s partners will offer a free CV clinic for attendees, providing more than 50 hours of free one-to-one graduate careers advice.

“It’s not just a CV-dropping exercise; you could go in and leave with a completely different perspective on where you might see your career. That’s why we’re encouraging people to go to seminars, go to employers they wouldn’t normally consider,” he says.

The event is free to attend, students just need to register on www.graduatecareersfair.com for a ticket, and they can also find out full details about exhibitors, speakers, tips to maximise the fair and more on that website.

For anyone not quite ready for the world of work, information on postgraduate courses is available.

Students will be able to speak to representatives from Irish universities and UK universities such as University of Salford, Edge Hill University and Canterbury Christ Church University.

Prospective postgraduate students can find out about the colleges’ courses, application dates and funding opportunities.

There will also be a Further Study Zone with more than 20 exhibitors, offering a wide range of postgraduate options and information.
The gradireland graduate careers fair takes place at the RDS Simmonscourt on October 5th from 11am-5pm