Iowa State University’s Career Fairs continue this week with the virtual counterparts of the People to People and Business, Industry and Technology Career Fairs as well as Jump Start Internship and Networking Fair, put on by Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication. Students in the applicable fields were able to start their networking and opportunity searching last week in person and can continue to meet with potential employers on Wednesday.

Students should register for the virtual fairs through CyHire, and include their resumes so employers can reach out to them directly. Once students have registered for the events they can click “attend event” on CyHire, giving them access to the Career Fair.

Students can look through different employers and representatives and join a queue for a one on one meeting. Some employers can also host group video sessions, allowing multiple students to join a call with a single employer.

Between the three fairs, over 100 potential employers will be participating in Wednesday’s events. 23 employers will be available at the Jumpstart Internship and Networking Fair, 58 at the Business, Industry and Technology Career Fair and 44 at the People to People Career Fair.

These virtual career fairs, like in-person career fairs, are extremely important opportunities that increase student’s chances at scoring a good internship or career opportunity. Whereas in-person career fairs offer more thorough interactions between individuals, virtual career fairs offer a more private, one-on-one venue for searching for a career.

When in-person and approaching the booth of a potential employer, it’s easy to get drowned out by other people wanting to interact with the same employer. The crowded lanes and a high number of people make it hard to stand out from the crowd. 

In virtual career fairs, students interact with employers in a private virtual meeting on a first-come first-serve basis. Students join queues to talk with employers, allowing for a more personal and private conversation. After the meeting, the employer would already have access to the student CyHire profile, including a resume and contact information, allowing employers to reach out if the meeting went well.

The three career fairs all open at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, running through most of the afternoon. The Business, Industry and Technology Career Fair and the People to People Career Fair both end at 3 p.m and the Jump Start Internship Networking Fair will end at 4 p.m.

For more information about preparing for the career fairs visit this site.