Over 30 businesses came to Simpson College’s first Business and Communications Career Fair to talk to students about internships, part-time jobs and full-time jobs.

Bobbi Meyer, internship coordinator, said Simpson used to hold a career fair for all majors, but attendance was dropping.

“Students may not come if they don’t know that it’s specifically for them. We wanted to be able to target a more specific audience,” she said.

Two more career fairs will be offered this school year. The first is for science, technology, engineering and math fields. The second is for human services. Meyer hopes the three fairs cover the majority of student’s majors.

A new draw for students at career fairs is free LinkedIn headshots. Professional photos are given to students to begin building a profile.

Meyer said the ultimate goal for students is to receive an internship or job.

“I hope they get some good contacts, so even if they weren’t looking for specific opportunity today, they have people they can follow up with,” she said.

Angela Essinck, a recruiter from Midwest Professional Staffing, met with students looking for office related jobs in the Des Moines area.

“Dress professionally. The first impression you make is very important. Good eye contact, and remember you can smile. Let your personality show,” she said.

Rebecca Smith from Agricredit also had a table in Hubbell Hall. She suggested students turn in their resumes to as many employers as possible.

“We like to collect as many resumes as possible at career fairs and kind of hold onto them until we’re looking at interns to bring on, or even full time,” she said.

Smith told students to get involved in as many things as possible while in college. She said, “Even if you haven’t had experience in your field, don’t doubt the other experience you have.”

Meyer said younger students can use the career fairs for practice. Courtney Custard, a sophomore accounting major, did just that. 

“I really wasn’t expecting too much honestly. I thought I would go in there with resume in hand and looking nice and see what I could do,” she said.

Custard attended the Career Essentials Panel, too.

“Networking was a big one that I got out of it. Make sure you get your name out there,” she said.

Custard said social networking was also an important topic. The panel told students to think before they post things. Employers are using sites such as Facebook and Twitter to evaluate potential candidates.

Watch Career Services Website for the next career fair specific towards your major and to get your professional LinkedIn headshot taken.