Jump-Start Fair to allow students to network and explore possible internships
Cinestie Olson, then-freshman in public relations and communications, hands a resume to a Lifeserve representative at the Internship and Networking Fair Oct. 17 in the Great Hall. Lifeserve was one of the many booths at the fair searching for eager interns from Iowa State.
September 30, 2019
Iowa State’s Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication is hosting its Fall 2019 Jump-Start Internship and Networking Fair from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.
Each semester, the fair provides students with the opportunity to network with potential internship providers and employers.
Internship Coordinator and Greenlee Academic Adviser Juli Probasco-Sowers said 33 booths are registered to participate in the event and predicts 135 to 200 students will attend the event.
Probasco-Sowers said student attendance for the spring 2019 fair was the lowest the fair had ever had. Probasco-Sowers said she believes more students will attend this semester’s fair as the low spring attendance was likely due to inclement weather.
Probasco-Sowers advises students to prepare for the fair by researching five to 10 businesses or organizations they are interested in before they attend.
Greenlee students are required to have a 400-hour internship in their specific area of study. The Jump-Start Internship and Networking Fair can aide students in finding that internship or an internship to provide them with experience.
Another highlight of the fair is that it allows students to practice their networking skills by speaking with potential employers and getting their names out there.
“It encourages you to get your resume together, to go out there and practice introducing yourself to people you don’t know,” Probasco-Sowers said.
Students also have the chance of finding an unexpected opportunity such as an internship unrelated to their major.
Probasco-Sowers said she recently had a Greenlee student work a paid internship at a tool company and the student enjoyed the environment and gained invaluable work experience from it.
Probasco-Sowers recommends students attending wear business casual clothing and bring copies of their resume to give to employers at the event.
Students planning to attend the event are not required to register in advance. Students unable to attend the fair this semester have the opportunity to attend the spring 2020 fair March 5, 2020.
