If the weather is anything to go by, we can with 100% certainty say that Job Fair doesn’t always have the mercy of weather gods. Last year we got scorched because of the hot or “lit” atmosphere. And this year, we swam through the rain and floods to get to our booth. But we are persistent if nothing else. 

There wasn’t a thing that could stop us in our pursuit of students. No, that doesn’t sound right. Pursuit? Sounds weird. Let’s correct it. There wasn’t a thing that could stop us from sharing tidbits about Deegloo and Digital Poirots and handing out some cool merch. Yes, much better.

Strategy for the win

Our plan was simple. Swag up our booth, show everyone we got some fun stickers, and chat with everyone. Did our plan work? Yes, it did.

Thankfully, the persistent rain didn’t stop students from coming in waves (pun intended) and asking about our company. What we can say is that they are curious, want to know what’s new and they all have various interests in IT. This is a good thing, since we do web and mobile development, but also have a special brand for data science and data engineering. That’s right –  we cover all the bases. Join us on that rollercoaster, won’t you!?

We also got there with a great tactic, bring our students who work in our teams to, well, talk to other students. What’s a better way to show everyone at the Job Fair what it’s like working with us than students telling you straight up how it is!? (Disclaimer: If you see phrases that are not Gen Z approved, it’s because this was not written by Gen Z. Sorry, not sorry.) 

We conclude that this was a great assumption that students will relate more to other students. Sharing their first-hand experience working in our teams is a great way of conveying just how things work and how they feel as individuals in the roles of frontend and backend developers or data scientists and engineers. The way they connected with other students like them, is a testament that younger generations are truly great minds who love interacting and being a part of something bigger and exciting. 

Chit-chat and knowledge-sharing are our forte

The only thing that we could say that we missed is coffee during the “rush hours”. We, caffeine addicts, were twitching from lack of that goodness, but alas, we had so much fun mingling with students that we survived. Barely.

We also scored a slot in lectures, so we sent our frontend extraordinaire Luka, to talk about a much-hated topic. Oh, that legacy code migration. All is fun and games until you come across an old code or technology. So, Luka took the task to teach others how legacy code isn’t necessarily such a bad thing and how it could be a teachable moment. If you weren’t there, you missed some great advice. But, if you would like to learn more about it, don’t be shy and reach out. 

What did we learn?

Each event is a great learning experience, so of course, we came back with some great insights.

Go with the flow, literally

These events are an opportunity to test how you think on your feet. You will meet a diverse group of people to whom you have to adapt your approach. Each interaction is an opportunity to learn from others and for them to learn from you. It’s an exchange of information where both sides try to meet each other’s expectations. Also, don’t let a little flood and rain stop you. Extreme conditions are where you show your strength and swimming capabilities. 

Be prepared to lose your voice, Little Mermaid style

Well, talk is not cheap. The price you pay for non-stop talking for two days is just that. You will talk, and talk, and the atmosphere was so vibrant that you had to speak up to be heard. So, it’s no wonder our voices were a bit raspy at the end. But have no fear, we loved every moment of it and came prepared this year to battle it out.

Came for the students, but took a sneak peek at the competition

Let’s be honest, even though we all had one goal there, to present our companies and draw the attention of students, we all love catching up with everyone from other companies. These events are a great way to learn and discover how everyone else is doing. We rarely have time to catch up with colleagues from other companies, so we love sharing news and fun information among us. 

Learn and listen

Talking with younger generations at the Job Fair is a great way to learn about new trends and their orientation towards specific technologies. It’s interesting to hear where students like to specialize and what their field of interest is. It helps us, not only in our approach to the employment market but also in creating our strategies and forming plans. It also allows us to see where are we compatible with employee demands and current market trends. 

Alas, we survived

All in all, what can we say about this year’s Job Fair? Boy, it was a lot of fun. Our voices might’ve gotten a workout and we will be drinking tea and lemon for the foreseeable future, but it was worth it. We met so many young intelligent people that will be such great additions to any team they might choose. 

So, to conclude, two very wet days that brought a lot of good vibes. Hopefully, we managed to snag the attention of future generations of developers. And hopefully, they’ll follow our journey to becoming bigger and better. If they decide to join, all the merrier.