The ISU career fairs are some of the largest in the country.

Employers from all over the country gather for a chance to snatch up the brightest students the university has to offer. It’s not just the employers and recruiters who can benefit from the career fair, though.

Countless students have found success from going to the fairs, which feature more than 100 employers.

Megan Sweere, senior in supply chain management, attended the Business, Industry and Technology Career Fair her freshman year and asked recruiters what they look for in job candidates. This way she was able to prepare for the next year’s fair.

She went again her sophomore year, but this time came out with an internship with ConAgra Foods in Omaha, Neb.

When she attended the fair she didn’t plan on coming out with an internship, but was happy to find a company there she was interested in, thanks to the vast amount of companies at the fair, she said.

“We have so many people there that it’s hard to not find some company that you’d be interested in,” Sweere said.

She landed another internship with Kohl’s this past summer, thanks to the career fair, and she will now be working for Kohl’s at its corporate headquarters in Waukee, Iowa, after she graduates.

Sweere spent time at the fair every year and eventually found the job that she knew she wanted to do. She even found it in the city she wanted to end up in, all thanks to the career fair, she said.

The fairs also provide students with a chance to identify companies they would like to work for, whether that be through an internship or job after college.

It helps to have employers and potential employees meeting in person to discuss possibilities.

Taylor Finn, senior in economics, is another student who has benefited from the career fair.

Finn suggests that students going to the career fairs go in with an open mind and a lot of confidence because of the large number of people and companies scattered across the fair.

“Go in already having applied to all the jobs you want, so you can open up that conversation,” Finn said.

This will make it that much easier to approach a company’s booth and will also show recruiters your interest in potentially working for them.

Finn, just like Sweere, landed internship offers because of the fair. She worked for Union Pacific last summer and even got paid for it.

She already has another offer from Union Pacific.

Finn and Sweere are just two examples of how successful the career fair can be for students who attend.