On Wednesday, Feb. 4, the Career Center hosted the annual Spring Career Fair in the Villanova Room of the Connelly Center.
Every year, Villanova students and alumni attend the career fair and leave with a variety of new industry connections, potential interviews to come and job opportunities.
Taking place once every fall and spring semester, the Career Fair allows for students and alumni to network and learn about potential employment opportunities.
This past week’s Career Fair was split into Liberal Arts and Business Fair, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the STEM Fair from 3 to 6 p.m., giving students the flexibility to work around their class schedules to attend.
According to the Career Center’s Director of Industry Advising, Christie Vuoto, 37 organizations from across 16 industries attended to recruit students, including engineering, renewable energy and manufacturing.
Constellation Energy was the sponsor of this spring’s Career Fair. Sixty-two of the employers in attendance were Villanova alumni who were especially excited to recruit Villanova students.
An employer originally scheduled to be in attendance was the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Due to ongoing controversies and student safety concerns surrounding recent events involving the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and CBP, they informed the Career Center this past week that they’d no longer attend the event.
The Villanovan reached out to the University and was provided with a written statement.
“Organizations participating in this event were contacted through standard outreach to employers that have previously taken part in Career Center programs,” the University’s statement read. “US CBP-Office of Trade was included in that general communication based on its participation in past career-related events. Following the announcement of their participation, the employer informed the Career Center that they do not plan to attend this event.”
As Wednesday came around, students arrived in their best professional attire, resumes and CVs in hand. Students were provided with a name tag indicating their class year and major. Employers also had name tags showing their company name, industry and the types of positions they offered.
Students were also offered a packet detailed with information on all of the different employers present in-person at the Career Fair.
This packet was organized by industry and had a map of the tables so that students could easily navigate the event.
Members of the Career Center’s Professional Development Team were ready to assist students in any last minute preparation including practicing a firm handshake or perfecting their elevator-pitch.
On their way out, students were asked to fill out a digital check-out form, and were given a complimentary T-shirt.
More than 250 students attended the Career Fair this year, across all colleges and included 45 majors, eager to explore the organizations and land their next professional opportunity.
The Career Center offered many helpful opportunities for students to prepare for the event, including Employer Resume Review Days, virtual workshops, information tables and appointments with the Wildcat Wardrobe which provides free professional attire to students.
The Career Center also encouraged students to prepare for the fair by researching the attending organizations on Handshake to familiarize themselves with the roles available and the types of students companies were seeking.
“We hope that students leave the Career Fairs getting out of it whatever they wanted to get out of it,” Laura Walker, the Career Center’s events and operations specialist said.
Walker also hopes that every student in attendance walked away with meaningful moments and conversations with employers in attendance.
“We want students to make the most of every interaction,” Walker said, “and feel like they’ve gained something valuable, whether it’s insight, a contact or an interview.”
Aside from the Career Fair, Villanova’s Career Center works hard year-round to offer students across a variety of majors and minors a ton of different networking events, digital resources and specific advising for industries students want to pursue after graduating from Villanova.
The Career Center also provides free headshots, professional attire and interview rooms throughout the year to support all students in their professional development as they pursue their degrees.
