The NDSU Fall Career Expo will be in-person and online.
The NDSU Career and Advising Center hosts its largest annual career expo both in-person and online this year, maximizing students’ ability to connect with employers from around the country.
The Fall Career Expo’s in-person event is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Fargodome. Students also can interact with employers online during the Virtual Career Fair on Tuesday, Sept. 28, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. via the Handshake website. More than 300 combined employers are expected to participate.
“The career fairs give students a leg up,” said Becky Bahe, director of the NDSU Career and Advising Center. “To be able to have that one-to-one interaction instead of just being a name on a piece of paper and getting sifted through, it gives students a head start on the search process.”
“I’ve attended every career fair I could since my freshman year, and I learned something new from each experience,” said Cody Beaulieu, a senior industrial engineering and management student. “Last fall I was able to have really good conversation with several employers and got a handful of interviews and job offers out of it.”
Students of all majors are encouraged to attend the fairs. Employers will represent a wide variety of industries and will be looking for many different skill sets, Bahe said.
“It is a great way to learn how to talk about yourself, your skills and interests in a professional setting,” Beaulieu said. “Not many incoming college students have these skills, which are crucial for interviews, real-world meetings and conversations. It is also a great place to network, learn about companies, what specific people do in their roles and a place to potentially get an internship or even a full-time job.”
This year Handshake, a popular, user-friendly job posting board, will replace NDSU’s previous online system. Handshake gives users more control and increases job posting frequency and variety, according to Bahe.
“By switching to Handshake, we’ve been able to dramatically open up the number of opportunities for students,” she said.
Like LinkedIn, students can customize their profile, indicate whether they are open for work and are searchable to employers who use the system.
NDSU students don’t need to register in advance for the in-person fair. Students planning to attend the virtual fair should register on Handshake prior to the event.
