BYU Career Fair helps students network

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No matter what major, all students are faced with the looming decision of where to work and what to do after they graduate.

University Career Services will host its annual BYU Career Fair Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Wilkinson Center Ballroom. The one day fair provides students the opportunity to network with companies across the country with hopes of securing a job after graduation.

The fair has been running for 10 years and boasts a long list of companies who attend yearly. Companies represented at the fair are local and national, and some Fortune 500 companies will also be represented. Each company registers online prior to the fair in order to participate. Once registered, the company will appear on a published list students have access to so they can better prepare themselves for companies that spark their interest.

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Students discuss career opportunities with businesses around the country. BYU Alumni Career Services makes outreach trips to get companies interested in recruiting from BYU.
Mckenzie Lawyer Davies, career counselor and events manager for University Career Services, believes that this fair is beneficial to the students as well as employers. The companies are able to interact with and get to know BYU’s students and many companies often hold on-campus interviews for students. The students can network and make connections with potential employers.

The fair also focuses on encouraging students of all majors to attend and participate and is designed to provide opportunities for all types of students.

“We try to discourage students from thinking that my major only leads to one job,” Davies said. “Any major can get you any kind of job. It just depends on how you sell yourself [to potential employers] and your experience.”

Elise Townsend, a junior from La Canada, Calif. studying dance, says attending is beneficial.

“It’s a great opportunity to see what kind of jobs are out there,” Townsend said. “I’m interested in many different things and it’s good to keep my options open.”

Davies also recommends that students dress professionally and bring their resumes to the fair. University Career Services offers resume critiques the Friday and Monday before the fair to help students. So far for the fair this year over 140 student resumes have been critiqued.

According to Monte Marshall, career advisor and events manager for University Career Services, a goal of the fair is to connect students with employment opportunities. The fair brings over 100 companies who are interested in BYU students and graduates. Marshall said its a great way for students to have face to face conversations with potential employers and create exposure that the students might have not had otherwise. He said how employers hold on-campus interviews and are generally impressed by the students here.

The BYU Career Fair continues to host new companies looking to connect with students as well as the core companies that keep coming back.

“I would recommend that students look at who’s coming beforehand,” Marshall said, “and then come prepared to talk to their top three or four employers … and make sure they present themselves and BYU well.”

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