In these times of economic troubles, students need to use all available resources to secure a job.

Approximately 100 employers will attend the career fair in hopes of recruiting college graduates to enter their task force.

“We’re very strict about who can come to the career fair, so these are good quality employers who offer careers with salary and benefits,” said Monte Marshall, career adviser and events manager for BYU’s Career Center.

This career fair is not just for seniors looking for careers after graduation but for any students looking to gain experience in their field, Marshall said.

“A lot of these employers are offering internships for the younger students,” Marshall said. “There may be some internship opportunities that will help them gain experience, build their resume and help them be more employable.”

The career fair is an opportunity for BYU students to have access to real-life job opportunities and develop the skills necessary to secure a career.

“Here they can get a feel for the reality of life in the working world,” said Dave Waddell, the career fair chair for BYU Career Services. “They can talk to industry professionals and drop off resumes, find out about information sessions and gather many other types of information key to helping them prepare for life after BYU.”

The career fair should be treated as a job interview and students need to dress accordingly.

“They should look very professional,” Marshall said. “They should be wearing a tie and possibly a suit. A young lady should be wearing professional dress.”

If students are hoping to find a career or internship for next summer, now is the time to be actively engaged in finding a job.

“This is when the official recruiting season starts for most employers,” Waddell said. “Students need to be ready now to seriously pursue internships and full-time options for next summer.”

Jobs are scarce and both Waddell and Marshall emphasized the need to stand out in this cutthroat job market.

“Recognize that you are up against a lot of competition,” Marshall said. “For every classified ad there may be 500 plus applicants and chances for getting that job are very slim. Get some professional advice on job seeking strategies. Do something that all the other people are not doing.”

Waddell agreed that professional advice is crucial and suggested that students use University Career Services.

“Any student can set up an appointment for resume review, interviewing skills or how to work a career fair,” Waddell said.

Beyond getting professional advice, for students to get a career in this economy they must have work experience, Waddell said.

“You have to be competitive,” Waddell said. “Today’s college degree is yesteryear’s high school diploma. A degree is the minimum, you must have experience.”

Leesa Allison, 21, a pre-communications major from South Jordan, said she worries about getting a job after graduation.

“It seems like everyone is going to school and is qualified,” Allison said. “When we were growing up everyone said go to school so you could get a good job. You might not get as good of a job as you’d like though.”