Tuesday, the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center was crowded with USC students and employers for the Spring Career Fest. Students dressed in business attire and clutched copies of their resumes as they waited in line to meet potential employers.
Upstairs, students mingled at the Science Engineering and Technology Fair, while others networked at the Career Fest downstairs. Though the focus was different for each, both fairs gave students the chance to make connections and apply for jobs and internships.
“A job fair is about opportunities that the employers are going to fill," Halasz A career fair is more information focused, where students can learn about an employer,” Halasz said.
Bishop Shipman, for one, went to the fair last year and came out with an internship. This year, he was on the hunt for a full-time job.
“It’s nice to look at other companies around the area and see what other job opportunities are out there,” the fourth-year mechanical engineering student said.
Thomas Halasz, director of the Career Center, explained that the S.E.T Fair and Career Fest are great opportunities for students to get in contact with employers.
“We encourage students to begin coming to the job fairs as freshmen," Halasz said. "While most freshmen do not get an internship, they become familiar with the process of the job fair."
Erin Ryan, a first-year international business and management student, did just that. In preparation, Ryan worked on her resume and handshake in her business classes.
“I thought it was going to be really overwhelming," she said, "but it’s organized nicely and you can go in and talk to the people you want to talk to."
Both fairs have expectations: if a student comes to a job fair already knowing that the employer has a position they wants to fill, the student should be more informed of the company’s background. That way, there's a better chance of impressing the employer and getting an interview.
“[The students] make connections. They may meet a recruiter who will literally come back year after year, and many of them do,” Halasz said. “A student makes a connection the first year and makes it again the next year, and ultimately it pays off with that internship or full time job.”