Why College Students Should Attend Job Fairs
Photo by Mikhail Nilov from Pexels
Most college students have an end goal of graduating with a degree, with the next step being graduate school or the start of their career. For guidance, many students will visit their campus career center to get resume reviews, practice interviewing, get career coaching, and more. Another great reason to visit your career center is to learn about job fairs.
Job fairs, which are often led by college career centers, community organizations, or employers, are an excellent way for students to meet with organizations face-to-face to learn about their job openings.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) recently released “The 2022 Student Survey Report: Attitudes and Preferences of Associate Degree Students,” which documented responses from two-year college students on topics like major selection and career centers utilization.
These job fair stats reflect the advantage that job fairs can have on your career hunt:
Of the two-year students who attended job fairs, 28% received an interview from an organization afterward, while 23.9% got a job offer.
For virtual job fairs, 26.4% of students who attended were invited for a job interview, while 19.2% received a job offer.
Job fairs allow students to explore their career interests and meet with employers from the convenience of their college towns. These career events are not limited to college seniors searching for their next role after graduation. Job fairs are great resources for first-year students, sophomores, and juniors who may need an internship or part-time position. There are even special job fairs held for alumni.
Here are some of the benefits college students can gain by attending a job fair:
They’re free to attend
You can network with employers
Learn about an abundance of internship and job opportunities
Improve public speaking skills
Speak with professionals in different fields
Increase chances of getting an interview or a job offer
Learn about the skills and experience needed to land a job opportunity
To find out about upcoming job fairs, students should check their career center’s website and use websites like Eventbrite to find events outside their campus.