Attending career fairs can seem boring or maybe scary. But it provides real, tangible benefits. 

To see such benefits, look no further. 

Inspiration can be found in our many of our alumni, those students before us who also dreaded attending the career fairs but battled through and found success after graduation.

Lana Rushing, alumna of Iowa State, found her calling after school and has since moved on to become a successful business woman.

Rushing, principal at Rushing PR in Los Angeles, graduated from Iowa State in 1994 with a degree in journalism and mass communication.

After graduating she began work at a 3-D animation company called Engineering Animation, which was created in the ISU Research Park.

Rushing then continued on to work in the corporate public relations industry and worked on projects for companies such as HP, Disney Internet, Symantec and more.

She also worked for public relations agencies such as Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide and Edelman.

Rushing now lives and works in L.A., where she owns her own technology public relations firm called Rushing PR.

Her firm works with technology companies and assists them in launching their products and getting consumers aware of them.

Rushing PR has dealt with several clients, including: Incase, the brand studio at United Talent Agency, the president of Italy’s Marche region and the Italian Trade Commission of Los Angeles.

While at Iowa State, Rushing said she had multiple internships. 

Her first internship was with the Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau. 

She later worked in the public relations department for the College of Engineering.

“There will be multiple people going after the same jobs when you graduate,” Rushing said. “Having that tangible experience can really help you.”

Networking is huge while you are in college. 

Rushing said it is important to create those personal relationships with people and meet people who can pass on your resume to others when on the search for jobs.

“Networking will serve you well throughout life,” Rushing said.

She also said it is also very important to use volunteering opportunities to get even more hands on experience.

Also, taking advantage of social media sites like LinkedIn, a professional networking community, is also a good idea.

Rushing said attending Iowa State’s career fairs is a good place to start when looking for jobs and internships.

“Those kinds of initiatives are helpful to organize your thoughts on applying for jobs,” Rushing said.

She said that when attending the career fair, it is important to have your resume ready and at hand.

It is also essential to “sell yourself” to companies and know how to do it effectively. 

You want people to view you as a professional and as somebody they would potentially employ.