DURHAM, NH- The Career and Internship Fair was held in the Memorial Union Building (MUB) on Tuesday, Sept. 27 and Wednesday, Spet. 28  as an opportunity for students to meet companies from all industries and get a head start on networking.

The Career and Internship Fair is an event held by The University of New Hampshire’s Career and Professional Success (CAPS) team that invites businesses and companies to campus to allow students the chance to interact with them and start to foster early relationships for  potential careers.

Krysta Gingue, the operations manager for campus wide events, says that their work begins in June. She shared that contacting the businesses and setting everything up takes months of work, but that it is all worth it.

“For students, it’s an opportunity to get your resume out there, your name out there and network. You also meet many employers who you might have never heard of before. For the employer’s side, they get to meet you,” said Gingue.

Gingue shared that while the fair had a great turnout, she feels that some students are too nervous to attend. She encourages all students to take a step out of their comfort zone, as it can have great impact later down the line.

“It can be kind of overwhelming, but students need to realize that all they have to do is have confidence and be themselves. If they do this, they can build connections that will really help,” said Gingue.

Cheng Ling, an employee at the fair representing a heavy construction company called Pike Industries, said that events like these are very important for their company.

“For our industry especially, we need to get more students in. We need to let them know what we really do and what opportunities we provide,” he said.

Ling shared that one of the problems – employers experience is that the communication line between businesses and students is not very strong, but that career fairs help with this problem.

“It’s a very good way of connecting both sides. Fairs like this help open a line of communication and introduce our company and industry to people who might not be aware of it,” he said.

Brandon Loiselle, representing transportation engineering company GM2 Associates, elaborated on the importance of fairs like this. .

“There are a lot of untapped resources at colleges, and the way our industry is, with lack  of employees, means that we need young talent more than ever.”

He reflected on his own experiences with career fairs when he attended college.

“When I was a student, I met many interesting employers at career fairs. It’s where I pretty much first met GM2 who I currently work for, so there are many success stories from career fairs for both employers and students.”

During the fair, students flooded into the MUB in their professional attire with resumes clutched in hand in hopes  of meeting and networking with businesses.

Julia Bowman, a third year student at UNH, attended the fair to find an internship with a business she is interested in.

“I have seen multiple I like,” she said, smiling. “They are all super friendly and eager to talk. You start to realize that they need you as much as you need them.”

She discussed why the career fair is important to her, and why she believes that events like this help later when applying for jobs.

“They allow you to have a personal interaction with employers and put a face to people before you actually apply. If you put yourself out there, companies will remember you and it makes the whole application process less intimidating.” Says Bowman.

Jackie Desrosiers, a fourth year student, says she has attended the fair before, but not since before COVID. As a career fair alumnus, she shared advice for first time students.

“It is intimidating to go up to them, but once you are there and introduce yourself, it goes smoothly,” Desrosiers said. “Make sure you are prepared with a strong resume, make sure you dress well, and try to be confident. What always works for me is setting a goal and sticking to it.”

While The Career and Internship Fair is the biggest event UNH holds in the realm of career services, Gingue stresses that they are there year-round whenever students need them.

“Our doors are open to any student in all colleges. We are here to help and propel students onto a good path towards professional success,” she said.

Students can find out more about UNH’s career services and keep an eye out for future career events in order to get a jumpstart on their professional paths, here.