How to Run a Career Day at Your School

A career day can be a good moment for students. It can also be a loud day with no follow-up. The difference is planning. This guide gives you a simple plan you can use with a small team and a small budget.

Set one clear goal

Pick one main aim before you invite anyone. Do you want younger students to see more job types? Do you want older students to ask better questions about study paths? One goal keeps every choice simple.

• Write the goal in one sentence.
• Choose the year groups who will attend.
• Decide what students should do after the day, such as write a short reflection.

Find and prepare speakers

Start with parents, alumni, local employers and professional bodies. Ask for a mix of jobs, not only the well-known ones. Include people with different study routes, including vocational and part-time study.

• Send a short brief: time, room, age group, and the questions students will ask.
• Ask each speaker to explain their path, a normal day, and what they find hard.
• Ask them to bring one object or task students can try.
• Confirm by email one week before, and again the day before.

You can use our university fair guide as a model for logistics such as room maps and signage.

Prepare students first

Students ask better questions when they have thought about them. Run a short session in advance.

• Let each student choose two or three sessions based on interest, not on friends.
• Give them a card with three question starters: What do you do on a normal day? How did you get here? What would you tell your younger self?
• Remind them how to greet a guest and how to say thank you.

Plan the day itself

Keep sessions short, around 20 to 30 minutes, with a few minutes to move between rooms. Short rounds keep energy up and let students see more than one job.

• Make a simple timetable and a room map.
• Give every speaker a named student host who greets and thanks them.
• Prepare a quiet space for students who find crowds hard.
• Have a staff member in or near every room.
• Check access, seating, and any equipment before the first guest arrives.

Follow up and review

The day only helps if students think about what they heard. Use the next counselling or tutor period for this.

• Ask each student to write one thing they learned, one thing that surprised them, and one next step.
• Send thank-you notes to speakers within a week.
• Collect short feedback from students, staff and speakers.
• Note what to keep and what to change for next year.

For ready-made reflection and discovery tasks, see our list of career guidance activities for teenagers. If you want a full set of tools to build around events like this, look at the Career Counsellor Toolkit.

Want a ready-made plan for your school? Look at the Career Counsellor Toolkit or book a free 20-minute intro call with William.