Iowa State will hold two separate career fairs this week to help students seeking internships or jobs get in touch with employers and sharpen professional skills.

The College of Engineering will hold its second career fair of the semester from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday in Hilton Coliseum and the Scheman building. The Ivy College of Business will hold the Business Industry and Technology Career Fair from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday in Hilton Coliseum.

The Ivy College of Business held the Business Career Services Super Day the previous week to help students prepare for the Career Fair. Sofia Sanchez, a junior majoring in pre-business, said the Career Services Super Day offered a lot of helpful information.

“I’ve been to career fairs before, but I’ve never been to such a big one,” Sanchez said. “It’s a big deal, but it’s like super exciting because everyone is so supportive and welcoming that you really don’t have the time to be like ‘oh my gosh I’m so nervous.’”

Sanchez only spent a short time at the Career Services Super Day but said she got a lot of helpful input. The most helpful aspects were express hours for consulting professionals on resumes and hand-outs that explained what businesses are looking for, Sanchez said.

“What helped me is that they offered the free portraits, they offered help with Linkedin and your resumes and all that,” Sanchez said. “It’s been super good.”

Chloe Mettenbrink, a sophomore majoring in pre-business, also attended the Career Services Super Day. Mettenbrink said she benefited from the hand-outs listing businesses and the opportunities they may offer.

“I went to Career Services and had them look over my resume,” Mettenbrink said. “I went there, like two times. So, they really helped me in looking it over and making it professional, from high school to college, so that was a big thing for me.”

Claire McLoone, a senior majoring in finance, will be returning to an in-person career fair for the first time since the pandemic this week. McLoone said she would advise freshmen to attend the career fair regardless of their intention of getting an internship or job.

“So my first career fair I attended was in the fall of 2019,” McLoone said. “Obviously, things have changed since then. I’ve attended a virtual one as well, obviously not as interactive. So I’m excited to go back this year and meet and network with employers in these new times.”

Collin Sevigny, a senior in mechanical engineering, attended the previous week’s Engineering Career Fair in the Scheman Building. Sevigny said the temperature in the building got pretty high, but opportunities were still plentiful.

“I got to talk to some of the big companies like John Deere and Polaris,” Sevigny said. “So, just being able to talk with them, find out what they’re looking for in candidates and kind of practicing people skills with your employees.”

With over 600 employers present at the career fair and more than 4,000 students attending, the Scheman building was packed throughout the fair.

“My tips would just be, be confident, be yourself,” Sevigny said. “Talk with authority about what you’ve done, explain how it helps you in the industry, and just try to be able to respond to them quickly and honestly.”