The College of Human Sciences and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences co-hosted the People to People career fair on Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall.
The fair provided job opportunities in a variety of fields, including human and social services, events, health and wellness, government, hospitality and communications.
People to People, as previously reported by the Daily, focuses on government occupations, non-profits, hospitality, medical and law schools, as opposed to business and engineering career fairs, which primarily target corporate jobs.
“This career fair covers a lot of those areas that aren’t always represented by some of the larger career fairs,” said Tessa Brow, assistant director of LAS Career Services. “The focus is on LAS and Human Sciences, but within those, there is such a broad range of majors within that, but it is not limited to them.”
Some companies only want to meet people who take an interest in them, and are less worried about what their major is, said Zander Hayes, a representative for Aptive Environmental.
“Come talk to us, even if we aren’t related to your major, because you might like something here,” Hayes said. “Maybe you will love it, even if it isn’t exactly what you’re looking for in the moment.”
According to Hayes, they do not pick specific majors because anyone can sell, but if anyone wants to try, they believe they will succeed.
“We are not looking for anyone specific, just someone who works hard,” Hayes said. “When it comes to sales, if you don’t have a work ethic, you’re not going to succeed. So, if we find someone who is willing to go out and work hard, we want them on our team.”
Brody Norton, an Iowa State University Police Department student outreach ambassador, said the department spoke to students who were studying event management, kinesiology, criminal justice and marketing.
Norton said the career fair is a “really cool place” to work with students “in ways that they may not expect.
“I am working to help present to the community the different opportunities that we have within the department, and that students know we are also somebody that they can come to with creative solutions for their careers and moving into the future,” Norton said.
Some companies are interested not only in speaking with people in majors outside of Human Sciences and LAS, but also in students within those colleges who want work experience in a field that is not directly related to their major.
“My ultimate goal is to go into counseling therapy, so any job working with people is an option,” said Elliana Vicker, a sophomore in psychology looking for a summer internship with a human services agency. “I personally have my interests of what I would find more applicable for goals, but I am looking for anything that is one on one interaction with people.”
Jack Jorgensen, a junior in kinesiology and health, found an internship at the previous People to People career fair and went back for more opportunities.
“My end goal is to eventually get into pharmaceutical sales, so I have been looking at internships with health and wellness,” Jorgensen said. “I am trying to get experience in both health and wellness as well as sales for more perspective. I got a sales internship last year from the career fair, and this year I am focusing more on the health and wellness side.”
Jorgensen said the career fair prepares students for success and “gives the opportunity to travel, explore themselves and ultimately decide what to do professionally.”
