Collegiate Times

Today, the "Super Bowl" of college business recruiting is coming to Virginia Tech.

Pamnplin's Business Horizons Career Fair will provide students with the opportunity to meet company representatives in the hopes of gaining an interview and possibly an internship. At the very least, students will get a taste for the competition in the corporate world.

The fair celebrates its 30th year, connecting students to employers and bridging the gap between higher education and careers.

With 30 years of growth, the number of employers and students who attend the event has increased substantially. This year’s event is projected to have over 160 companies with 500 company representatives and more than 2000 students, said Stuart Mease, director of undergraduate career services for the Pamplin College of Business, helps to coordinate this event.

“Many of our recruiters say this is one of the premiere fairs on any college campus on the East Coast,” Mease said. “It's the Super Bowl for college recruiting of Pamplin students.”

“[The goal is] to connect students to employers so the companies can hire as many Hokies as possible and students have as many opportunities, too. It's that simple,” Mease said.

Clayton Miller, a senior marketing management major, attended the event last year and was one of the lucky students who ended up getting an internship.

Miller got an internship with Nielsen in San Francisco, Calif., one of the largest market research firms in the world.

“Nielsen is a great name to have on your resume, as are most companies at Business Horizons,” Miller said. “If you are looking to get an internship, this fair definitely gives you a leg up.”

Miller had attended several career fairs before last year, so he had some experience in dealing with company recruiters.

“My first experiences were awkward, but you have to build confidence,” Miller said. “Now, I do some practice interviews with companies beforehand, then go to the companies I really want to work for to do those interviews.”

Miller described the long, arduous process required to be successful with employers at the fair.

He emphasized the usual things: be prepared, wear business casual attire, have your resume ready, and know ahead of time to whom you are going to talk. However, he also stressed the importance of prior research.

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A version of this article appeared in the Sep 20 issue of the Collegiate Times.