The Fall Career & Internship Fair 2015 takes place at the XFINITY Center on Wednesday, Sep. 16 from 12pm to 5pm and Thursday, Sep. 17 from 11am to 4pm.
Students have been flocking to and from Xfinity Center yesterday and today for this university’s largest Fall Career and Internship Fair, slated to include more than 300 companies coming to recruit.
The fair — the biggest of the year — is hosted by the University Career Center & The President’s Promise, boasting big- and small-name companies looking for university students. The fair ran from noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesday and will run today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This year, Career Center staff planned to have more career diversity at the fair by bringing in more companies that appeal to several disciplines instead of just focusing on a few, said Allynn Powell, associate director for professional preparation.
“Historically, [the fair] has felt more on the technical side,” Powell said. “For me, for the first time ever, there’s a little bit of everything.”
The Career Center has had a full list of the represented companies on its website, along with links for interview tips, outfit suggestions and other guides for student professional development. This year’s fair welcomed new companies such as Wegmans, the National Institutes of Health and the FBI.
“Come prepared,” said Rob Kramer, a junior civil and environmental engineering major who attended the fair last year. “Try to look into companies beforehand, and come with questions. They want to know you’re interested.”
Kramer said although he found some interesting companies at the fair as a sophomore, he felt as though a lot of recruiters were looking for upperclassmen. This year, he said, he feels more focused and plans to look at fewer companies.
While the list this year includes recruiters looking for everything from journalism to education students, the most recruiters — 80, to be exact — are directed toward engineering, according to the fair website.
“Do some research and know what you’re looking for,” Powell said, adding that there are differing sections for different disciplines. “Strategize about where you definitely want to go, who you definitely want to see.”
The Career Center also has been trying to encourage younger students to come by emphasizing the “first-year friendly” companies who are interested in freshmen, Powell said. Businesses who choose to display a first-year friendly ribbon show they are “open to talking to younger students, interested and have opportunities,” she said.
But Powell said even if students don’t land a job while at the fair, she hopes they can see it as a chance to foster relationships and explore every available option.
“It can be overwhelming,” Powell said. “You have to approach it in the manner that you’re offering yourself to the organizations looking to hire.”
The Career Center is also offering tools to help students along the way, including buses running from Stamp Student Union and the Mitchell Building to Xfinity Center, as well as navigating the fair with the TerpLife app, which includes a list of employers, a map and a section to take notes, Powell said.
The app “was one of the most helpful things, because they have a list of who’s going to be there and at what times,” said junior biology major Tyla Young, who used the app last year.
But the most important thing that students always tend to forget when attending the fair is to smile, Powell said,
“Remember that recruiters are humans, too,” Powell said. “They were once in your shoes. They’re going to go home and sit on the couch after just like we will.”
