On Tuesday, Jan. 28, the Center for Career Advancement (CCA) held the Internship and Job Fair, which took place in the Gerhard Fieldhouse from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Upon entering the Fieldhouse, students were prompted to sign in and create tags featuring their names and majors. They also had the opportunity to sit for a professional headshot, which will be sent to them for professional usages, such as LinkedIn profiles. Students then walked around to the different tables where representatives from each company were available to answer questions, provide insight on their companies and their specific positions, and connect with each other.

The CCA holds career fairs once or twice each semester, and they succeed in cultivating a wide range of companies from various industries in order to make the events valuable to all students. This past internship and job fair featured Deloitte, The Children’s Place, Lutron Electronics, and the U.S. Department of State, as well as many University internship and career programs, to name a few. Over a hundred students could be seen walking around dressed in business casual attire, holding resumes, and engaging with companies of interest.

Career fairs at the University are open to all students and can be valuable for all years and majors. For seniors, career fairs are profitable because by then they have a better idea of what they are looking for in their next steps and can actively seek job opportunities. For juniors, they are beneficial because, coming from a position with prior experience, they can get ahead by setting up plans for the next year or more—whether that be internships or more official jobs. Noa Evenhaim ’21 and Isabelle DeZenzo ’21 described how attending fairs help them get a better idea of what they want to do, as well as what specific companies they’re interested in.

Sophomores have more variability in terms of what they can get out of career fairs—some industries might be offering internships while others are building connections for the future. “As a sophomore, career fairs are extremely helpful and it’s nice to have Bucknell alumni representing the companies because it allows for an instant point of connection,” Catherine Sweeney ’22 said. They can also be useful for first-years to gain exposure to the networking world and learn how to present themselves as professionals.

Alison Ordonez, the associate director of Career Services/Internships at the CCA, shared a few pieces of advice for all students: “Talk to as many companies as possible, ask questions about specific departments, and follow up with connections to express interest.” The CCA provides many programs and services beyond job fairs that can help students think about their future ambitions, structure their academics and involvements, and develop their career path, including resume workshops, mock interviews, and prep sessions.