IT 2025 careers fairs: preparation for talks with companies

Why IT career fairs will be more exciting in 2025

The IT labour market is constantly evolving - and in 2025, career fairs for tech professionals will become even more important. Companies are responding to dynamic technologies, hybrid working models and the continuing shortage of skilled labour by targeting talent at IT career fairs and exploring new ways of recruiting. Visitors, in turn, now expect formats that go beyond conventional information stands. Authentic discussions, uncomplicated dialogue and direct opportunities to get involved in specific projects are in demand.

Whether you are a career starter or a senior professional: with the right preparation, career fairs offer a wide range of opportunities. This article sheds light on how you can convince companies of your potential, what recruiters expect on the days of the fair and what pitfalls you should avoid. Using concrete examples, you will learn how to utilise the full potential of a trade fair participation.

Trends and expectations: What companies are looking for at IT career fairs in 2025

For many companies, career fairs in the IT environment have long been a testing ground for innovative recruiting strategies. In addition to traditional permanent positions - such as for backend developers, security engineers or cloud architects - the focus is increasingly on flexible, project-based working models. Demand is focused on the following areas of expertise, among others:

• Cloud computing (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Artificial intelligence / machine learning
• IT security - from pentesting to compliance
• Low-code/no-code development
• DevOps & automation

Companies expect visitors to show initiative. Those who prepare themselves specifically and show an interest in advanced technologies position themselves as relevant dialogue partners. Companies are increasingly organising mini-challenges or coding tasks at the trade fair stand, the successful completion of which can bring direct benefits such as a place in the fast-track application process.

An illustrative example: In 2024, a leading cloud provider invited interested trade fair guests to take part in a spontaneous infrastructure-as-code challenge. The best participants received an exclusive invitation to a networking dinner - many of them were able to take away job offers straight away.

Preparation: Your success begins long before the career fair

Successful interviews at IT career fairs require thorough preparation. From developing a concise pitch and active networking to a practical demonstration of your own skills on the day of the fair - the course for success at the fair is set well in advance.

Goal definition and prioritisation

Your own objectives form the foundation: Is the focus on starting a career, a new permanent position as an experienced specialist or are you specifically looking to secure project contracts as a freelancer? If you specify your expectations, you can prepare and follow up your trade fair visits in a targeted manner. A checklist is helpful:

• Up to seven favourites among the employers
• Roles or positions with individual interest
• Questions that should be asked directly at specific trade fair stands

Update your profile and CV

The presentation of your own tech skills often determines the outcome of a job fair interview. At career fairs in 2025, companies often expect applicants to provide current projects, certificates and profiles directly in digital form - whether as a PDF, on a tablet, via clean code examples, linked Git repositories or QR codes. The following have proven themselves in practice:

• A well-maintained Github or Gitlab account with meaningful repositories
• Online portfolios, for example on dev.to, LinkedIn or your own website
• Certificates as PDF (e.g. Azure AZ-900, AWS Solutions Architect, Clean Code, Scrum)

example: Generate QR code with link to project portfolio (Python) import qrcode img = qrcode.make('https://github.com/ihrname/portfolio') img.save('portfolio_qr.png')

Practise pitch and questioning techniques

In the trade fair context, applicants benefit from a clearly structured elevator pitch. A concise self-introduction text of around 20 to 40 seconds that summarises the technical focus and personal motivations is ideal. One way to organise the pitch:

"I've been working as a DevOps engineer for three years with a focus on AWS infrastructure and automation via Terraform. My latest success: reducing the deployment time of a platform by 40 per cent. I am particularly interested in innovative cloud projects with serverless architecture."

It is also advisable to formulate prepared questions for the company that demonstrate expertise and interest:

• "What exactly is your onboarding process for cloud engineers?"
• "Which open source technologies do your teams prefer to develop with?"
• "What options does your company offer for remote collaboration?"

On the day of the fair: Behaviour, networking and soft skills

When it comes to personal appearance on the day of the trade fair, it is often not just expertise that impresses, but also an authentic, collaborative style. Above all, companies are looking for personalities who are willing to cooperate - in other words, who engage in dialogue on an equal footing and show an interest in the respective corporate strategy and technology. A conversation starter such as: "I find your Kubernetes migration project exciting - were there any technical or organisational hurdles?" signals attention and an understanding of the industry.

Appropriate self-presentation relies on a healthy balance: tech-savvy applicants can make their expertise clear, while at the same time there should be room for curiosity and an exchange about the potential employer's working methods.

Small talk or deep tech? Strike the right tone

When talking to recruiters, it is advisable to start with a personal reference, followed by an introduction to a technical topic. A transition to specific tools, methods or challenges from your own specialism will make you stand out from the crowd. Sample question for the interview:

// Interview script: Starting the deep tech conversation "I've seen that you use Kubernetes productively. Do you also use Helm for deploying complex services?"

As soon as there is a technical exchange, you can bring in your own experience or code examples at the appropriate point. This is where tact pays off, as not every dialogue partner has a technical background. Your own flexibility in the depth of the conversation makes all the difference.

Networking: making and maintaining contacts

Career fairs in the IT environment offer a structured framework for expanding your professional network. Exchanging business cards or QR codes is just as effective as direct LinkedIn links afterwards. Making targeted contacts at stands, in break areas or at expert panels not only expands your network, but also increases the chances of follow-up projects and exciting job changes. Many companies maintain long-term talent pools in which particularly interesting trade fair contacts are directly taken into account.

Follow-up: The fair is just the beginning

Success at a career fair often only materialises with systematic follow-up work. It is practical to make a note of key keywords after each interview: The interviewer, the course of the conversation and the projects or technologies mentioned. On this basis, customised messages can be formulated in the following days - for example, for an initial contact on LinkedIn:

Hello Ms Mustermann, thank you very much for the inspiring conversation about cloud migration at the IT career fair XY. I was particularly pleased with your reference to CI/CD pipelines and would welcome the opportunity for further exchange. Best regards, Max Beispiel

A targeted follow-up ensures lasting contact and provides a bridge to more in-depth discussions or invitations to selection events.

For many IT specialists, trade fair participation is just the beginning: Companies pay attention to whether contacts are actively utilised by applicants. This includes, for example, sharing specialist articles, participating in webinars or hackathons and providing factual feedback on trade fair topics or technical challenges. This is how you leave a lasting impression.

Conclusion and outlook: Your career booster for the 2025 IT career fairs

For IT professionals and companies, career fairs in 2025 will remain a central platform for innovation, networking and new career impulses. With prepared documents, technical expertise and a customised interview strategy, you can create the basis for a convincing appearance. If you then follow up in a targeted manner and fill existing contacts with life, you will lay the foundations for the next step in your career. Experience shows that personal encounters and the direct exchange of knowledge are becoming more important again - despite advancing digitalisation - and make all the difference.