The Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication provided students the opportunity to communicate with organizations about available jobs and internships Thursday.

The Iowa 80 Group, known commonly as ‘The World’s Largest Truck Stops’ attended the Jump-Start Internship and Networking Fair represented by Whitney Altenhofen.

Altenhofen said the Iowa 80 Group is currently searching for nine interns and came to Iowa State for a videographer.

Altenhofen said the Iowa 80 Group’s intern would work to help create footage for the organizations events and get a chance to see people from all over the world.

“[The videographer] will film different recruiting events, interview different employees […] and we have a museum as well, so they’ll be able to shoot some footage there,” Altenhofen said. “We are using that footage on social media and all different types of platforms to recruit customers and employees.”

Olivia Benjamin, senior in public relations, said she attended the fair looking for an internship in corporate communication.

Benjamin said she has worked two prior internships including a communications job for the Iowa State College of Engineering. At the career fair she said she was interested in an opportunity with Volunteer Iowa.

Benjamin said she was surprised to learn an organization such as Volunteer Iowa would be able to offer paid internships and the organization said they can pay interns almost $14 an hour.

Benjamin said she also learned Volunteer Iowa gives its interns opportunities to travel, write press releases and create blogs and activities, which coincide with her personal interests.

“[Students] should always come to the Jump-Start career fair,” Benjamin said. “It’s specialized a lot for Greenlee Students and similar majors.”

Carlyn Ward, junior in public relations, and Breanna Bruening, junior in journalism and mass communication, attended the career fair together to fulfill a requirement for LAS203X: professional and career preparation.

Ward and Bruening said they had a particular interest in working for magazine publications and wished to see more variety in the organizations represented at the career fair.

“I wish there were more diverse platforms out here for those of us that aren’t interested in newspaper reporting,” Bruening said.

Ward said she would still advise students attending the fair to network and experience the environment.

“You shouldn’t leave college without coming to at least one [career fair],” Bruening said. “You have that opportunity to explore. […] I’m glad we had that experience.”

The Jump-Start Internship and Networking Fair occurs every academic semester as a supplement to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Career Services. The fair facilitates an environment where students can introduce themselves to local and regional businesses.

A handout given to attendees of the Jump-Start fair listed around 30 different businesses with booths set up around the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.

Employers at the event were tailored to the disciplines of the Greenlee School, with networks such as Iowa PBS, KCCI-TV and WOI-TV Local 5 News having a presence alongside several Iowa newspaper publishers.

The public relations divisions of several companies were also seeking interns, such as the Octagon Center for the Arts, LifeServe Blood Center and the Merrill Manufacturing Company.

The career fair was organized by Greenlee Internship Coordinator Juli Probasco-Sowers, academic adviser for Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication. She said the career fair is a great way to get students started on their search for an internship or a full-time job.

“I call it a ‘boutique internship fair’ because it’s not large, we don’t charge the companies, […] and these companies are coming here because they are looking for students to fill their positions,” Probasco-Sowers said.

Probasco-Sowers said she encourages students to “think outside the box” when searching for an internship and to meet with a wide array of companies, such as the Iowa 80 Group.

The next Jump-Start Internship and Networking Fair is currently scheduled for Oct. 27 from noon to 4 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.