Fans of Iowa State athletics know the excitement that can take place at Hilton Coliseum, but on Wednesday, Hilton provided a very different type of excitement as students connected with potential employers at the spring 2017 Business, Industry  and Technology Career Fair.

More than 150 companies attended the career fair, which provides an opportunity for students to discuss full-time employment as well as internships or cooperative education opportunities. Companies recruited for positions not only in the Midwest but also nationwide and worldwide.

“We have a whole program dedicated to hiring college graduates, especially in supply chain management and industrial engineering, so we look for schools that have those majors,” said Jared Bowersock, a corporate recruiter for DSC Logistics. “We have been coming [to Iowa State] for at least the last four or five years.”

Companies were looking to recruit college graduates directly and provide the necessary training on the job.

“Our company hires a lot of people directly out of college, we have a very extensive training program that they go through and it is one of the reasons that we come to such an event,” said Ed Meador, senior sales executive for C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc.

But the companies at the career fair are only half the equation. Students attend to network and find the correct fit for a professional career.

“I graduate in May, so my motivation is finding a job and being able to network with companies and get my foot in the door,” Chase Rey, senior in finance and supply chain management, said. “The biggest thing was finding a company that I had interest in for a career, but also finding a company that is going to suit me location-wise as well.”

The career fair can be essential for senior students trying to find an employer. But it can also benefit younger students who are trying to find a career that interests them, and the fair provides an opportunity to communicate with professionals.

“I’m still in the process of discerning what I want to do as a career,” Will Franke, sophomore in marketing, said.  “It is a good way to practice what I want to say, how I want to act and how I want to present myself.”

The representatives at the career fair can interact with hundreds of students. Bowersock and Meador provided some advice for the future to make sure that one leaves a good impression.

“Just come prepared, have plenty of résumés on hand, be willing to describe your prior experience,” Bowersock said. “If you are looking for positions in supply chain management, then be able to explain why you chose supply chain management.”

Meador said to dress professionally, give a firm handshake, look people in the eye and project confidence.