The Wilkinson Student Center looked a bit different Thursday, Oct. 3, as piles of backpacks littered the floor and students in business suits lined up outside the ballroom for the job fair.
To enter, students had to visit the check-in booth where they were given a name tag with their name and major. They were then free to visit the booths of various employers, like Pepsi Co. and UPS, which had come to recruit students.
According to English major and job fair participant Noelle Dickerson, most employers would give each visitor a rundown of the entry-level jobs available and hand out fliers.
Dickerson is graduating in April, so she said she came to the job fair to get an early start on the job hunt. She was dressed professionally and had researched various companies via the BYU Career Website. Noelle had also printed out resumes, which she gave out if she was particularly interested or if the potential employer asked.
Marketing major Cody Hackman came to the job fair to look for an internship for the summer. He said he hopes to become a brand manager, so his search focused on marketing and brand jobs.
“I talked to Pepsi Co.; it seems like a really good opportunity. The deadline (to apply) is tonight, so I’m going to apply for that,” Hackman said.
Other attendees had a different approach. Collin Thompson was in causal attire and had written “mo’ money, mo’ problems” under 'major' on his nametag. His real major is sociology.
“I have an accounting midterm, and I’m just blowing off my studying, and I might find something cool here to get. Maybe like a bouncy ball,” Thompson said.
Regardless of their reasons for attending, the BYU job fair provides students with the opportunity to meet future employers face to face, practice interviewing and obtain internships and other entry-level positions. The job fair happens annually.