Students were dressed to impress Wednesday as they flocked to Hilton Coliseum. They weren’t there to cheer on their team; instead, they were interested in scoring a few points with employers.

Employers from the area and around the country set up booths with the goal of getting their names out and to recruiting promising talent for their companies.

Businesses focus on certain characteristics in students at the career fair.

“We are looking for bright, energetic students who are looking to make the most of their opportunities,” said Tricia Martin, a recruiter for The Washington Center.

Presentation and looking professional is also important, Martin said.

Confidence, keeping eye contact and asking the right questions is important, said Matthew Kautzer, manager for Corporate Staff Accounting.

“We are looking for students with good communication skills, who are energetic, can relate to people and work well in teams,” Kautzer said.

Kautzer said internships are an important way to test drive their company.

“We structure our internships to be the same as what a full-time individual would be doing. It’s important that interns test drive us so they can make a good decision whether they’d want to work for the company,” Kautzer said.

Sandee Cook, director of Human Resources for Dice, came to Iowa State for the first time looking for talented students with extra time to devote to a job. Cook also said classes that relate to the internship make students more attractive.

Cook said Iowa State does a good job of managing the career fair.

“[Iowa State is] very good at communicating with different businesses and getting the word out to students,” Cook said.

Jenna Haskitt, senior in English, said she received a warm welcome from exhibitors.

“National Instruments made me feel really comfortable, and after looking at my resume they made me feel like I could really work at their company,” Haskitt said.

Students who were attending the career fair for the first time found that it was a good experience, recommending that other students take advantage of it.

“[The career fair] was better than I expected – more overwhelming I guess,” said Adam Fraser, junior in pre-business.

Fraser said he found a few companies that looked promising for internships.

“Primerica [Finance] and Principal [Financial Group] were easy to talk to and very helpful with information,” Fraser said. “It was a good experience. I would recommend it to any sophomores and juniors.”