Students who haven’t found jobs or summer internships yet are in luck. The third annual Ag Career Day takes place 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Memorial Union.

More than 80 employers are scheduled to recruit students for internships, and part-time and full-time positions, said Mike Gaul, director of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Career Services ­— although some employers might just offer information about their companies and not be hiring.

Gaul said that despite the “doom and gloom” students hear about the job market, it’s important to stay persistent and keep looking.

“The glass is half full versus half empty; you just have to stay motivated and commit yourself to the job search,” he said. “Is it going to take longer? Probably. But in the end good help is always in high demand, and we’ve got great students at Iowa State.”

Gaul said it’s important for students to check out the list of employers and research the companies before heading to career day.

“There’s nothing worse than walking up to a company and not knowing anything about them,” he said. “Take the time to research the company that you are going to visit.”

David Meyer, business director for VerticalXchange, a Burnsville, Minn., company that focuses on providing strategic relationships for buyers within about 15 different industries, said he decided to come to the career day after searching for career fairs online.

“I was just out on the Internet and the timing on this was impeccable,” Meyer said. “I was just searching for the area colleges and primarily focusing towards the agricultural industry, and being that Iowa State has one of the best ag programs, the timing was good and we wanted to take advantage of it.”

VerticalXchange has production manager, research associate and internship positions to offer students at the career fair.

Meyer said he expects the three-hour trip to Iowa State will be worth it.

“One of the main reasons why we’re making the trek down there is that [Iowa State] has one of the best ag departments within the country and we want to tap into that knowledge,” he said. “Within the Twin Cities there are several colleges, but no one has the reputation like [Iowa State].”

For a full list of companies that will be represented at today’s career day, go to: www.career.ag.iastate.edu/agcareerday/career.php.

Opportunities to meet employers

• The Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow Club will host a chili luncheon for industry reps, faculty, staff and students 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Wednesday in the Curtiss Hall rotunda. Cost is $3.
• The Monsanto Mobile Technology Unit will visit the ISU campus Feb. 3–5. The exhibit will be parked on Stange Road between Kildee and Lagomarcino Hall and is open for visits 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.