Tiffany Boggs / en Confidence meets opportunity at Fall 2025 Career Fair /news/2025-10/confidence-meets-opportunity-fall-2025-career-fair <span>Confidence meets opportunity at Fall 2025 Career Fair </span> <span><span>Katarina Benson</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-10-23T16:56:29-04:00" title="Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 16:56">Thu, 10/23/2025 - 16:56</time> </span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--70-30"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="TextRun SCXW138970090 BCX0 NormalTextRun intro-text" lang="EN-US">Over the three days of this fall’s Career Fair, more than 5,000 鶹Ƶ students filled Dewberry Hall in sharp professional attire and with polished résumés in hand—ready to take the next step toward their careers.&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW138970090 BCX0 intro-text">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW21384652 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">George 鶹Ƶ’s Career Fair, held each fall and spring semester, is the university’s largest on-campus recruiting event, connecting students with representatives from more than 100 companies and organizations. The event offers students opportunities to explore internships, part-time roles, and full-time positions across a range of industries.&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW21384652 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/medium/public/2025-10/picture1-2-768x512.jpg?itok=KkpdyL8l" width="560" height="300" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Wilkerson and fellow staff members at the career fair. Photo by Emily Campos/University Life</figcaption> </figure> <p class="Paragraph SCXW21384652 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">“These are opportunities to get right in front of the employers,” said Phillip Wilkerson, employer engagement consultant at </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW21384652 BCX0" href="https://careers.gmu.edu/" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">University Career Services</span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> (UCS). “I like to tell students this is not a place where you can automatically get a job or a magic ticket; it’s a great way to build relationships, get business cards, and stay in touch.”&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW21384652 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW21384652 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">While the fair is about connections, success begins long before students step into Dewberry Hall. University Career Services offers one-on-one advising to help students refine résumés, craft cover letters, and practice introductions before the career fair.&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW21384652 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW21384652 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">“Confidence comes with preparation,” Wilkerson said. “The more prepared you are, the more confident you are.”</span><span class="EOP SCXW21384652 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-left"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2025-10/picture2-1-768x512.jpg?itok=BuLyq-sr" width="350" height="233" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>A students converses with an employer. Photo by Emily Campos/University Life</figcaption> </figure> <p class="Paragraph SCXW21384652 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Mary Claire Kraft, employer outreach manager for University Career Services, recommended that students research before the fair to be even more prepared. “Number one, check </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW21384652 BCX0" href="https://gmu.joinhandshake.com/login" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Handshake</span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">, George 鶹Ƶ’s job search web site,” she said. “When students meet an </span><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">employer</span><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> they’re interested in, they can then share one thing they already know about them.”&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW21384652 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW21384652 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Each day of the fair is focused on a different area or industry. Day one was focused on science, technology, engineering and health; day two was a general day for all companies; and day three was mainly attended by business, government, education and nonprofit organizations.&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW21384652 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW21384652 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Iman Chaudhry, a sophomore majoring in management information systems, approached the fair with an open mindset, something she credits with helping her make the most of the fair. “I think it’s important not to limit yourself, even if you have a specific major,” she said. “There are benefits to attending all days of the Career Fair.”</span><span class="EOP SCXW21384652 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW21384652 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">First-year student Lilliana Russell attended her first fair this </span><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">fall</span><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> eager to learn. The civil and infrastructure engineering major arrived early with a list of employers to meet and a curiosity about what her field has to offer. “I’m really just trying to scope out what the different companies in my field are and maybe score an internship,” she said.&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW21384652 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2025-10/picture1-1-e1760623785570-1.jpg?itok=tolW31gt" width="350" height="261" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Students meet with potential employers. Photo by Emily Campos/University Life</figcaption> </figure> <p class="Paragraph SCXW21384652 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Russell added that her nerves faded once she began speaking with recruiters. “Once I got to know everyone and saw how excited they were to talk with students, I let go of any preconceived notions I had about the event,” she said.</span><span class="EOP SCXW21384652 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW21384652 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">University Career Services hosts a wide variety of career fairs throughout the year. Students can keep the momentum </span><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">going</span><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> a Clearance Ready event on October 28 at noon. Engineering Careers Week kicks off November 10. &nbsp;</span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW21384652 BCX0" href="https://careers.gmu.edu/events" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Learn more about these and other career opportunities</span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW21384652 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">.&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW21384652 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:feature_image" data-inline-block-uuid="79501f71-2234-46cd-aede-19111c103c1a" class="block block-feature-image block-layout-builder block-inline-blockfeature-image caption-below"> <div class="feature-image"> <div class="narrow-overlaid-image"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/feature_image_medium/public/2024-09/all-1080x1080_internships.jpg?itok=6rzEswHt" srcset="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/feature_image_small/public/2024-09/all-1080x1080_internships.jpg?itok=CT4U-0_9 768w, /sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/feature_image_medium/public/2024-09/all-1080x1080_internships.jpg?itok=6rzEswHt 1024w, /sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/feature_image_large/public/2024-09/all-1080x1080_internships.jpg?itok=NmBYvS-B 1280w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 80vw,100vw" alt> </div> </div> </div><div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:text" data-inline-block-uuid="7001e701-2393-41a1-87b1-2caa5ee0d5aa" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocktext"> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="7c3fd084-49e6-4f08-98bd-a8f9c7cd8874"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://gmu.edu/internships"> <p class="cta__title">Learn more about internships at George 鶹Ƶ <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </p> <span class="cta__icon"></span> </a> </div> </div> <div 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block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/366" hreflang="en">University Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/516" hreflang="en">University Career Services</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15126" hreflang="en">workforce</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/721" hreflang="en">internships</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/336" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 23 Oct 2025 20:56:29 +0000 Katarina Benson 343961 at