DURHAM- Career and Professional Success (CaPS) welcomed over 220 businesses and 1,300 students to its spring Career and Internship Fair from Feb. 28- March 2. 

The three day event had companies ranging from the Boston Celtics to the FBI in the Memorial Union Building (MUB). The fair was open to all majors, grade levels and alumni to meet employers and discover career opportunities. 

CaPS holds fairs twice a year, one in the fall, and as soon as that ends, the months-long process for the spring fair begins immediately. 

“Directly after that fair, we start to think about what this fair should look like. So in November, we created all of the Handshake events, which is where employers can register for the event,” said Krysta Gingue, CaPS operations manager. “Then in January, we kind of switched to more of a marketing aspect of it, getting it out to students… the registration process closes in February, we really start pushing out to students at the beginning of the semester.” 

This semester’s fair stands apart from previous ones due to the new addition of interview days.

“We invited some employers who are interested in having interviews the next day. This kind of cuts down on the back and forth that both employers and students have to do,” said Gingue. “It’s a really quick way to connect with an employer and then immediately come back the next day and get interviewed.”

CaPS continued success with the fair has been prominent, as they have seen businesses come year after year, leaving positive feedback about the fair and UNH students. 

“I’m seeing employers that have come 10 years ago, and are still returning,” said Raina Sprague, director of employer relations. “Our students are phenomenal and that’s why they’re constantly coming back. Some of our feedback is that they love our operations, our team and putting on this event.” 

Companies look forward to this annual event, in hopes that they will find the future leaders of their company there.  

“We love UNH talent… we know they have terrific students, who come to Fidelity, who stay at Fidelity and grow their careers at Fidelity,” said Amy Branson, University Talent Lead at Fidelity Investments.

“I love UNH, I’ve been recruiting at UNH for many years and I’m just excited to talk to students,” said Kimberly Smith, talent acquisition manager at Enterprise. 

Employers advise students to be confident in themselves, research accordingly and step out of their comfort zone. 

“If a student is projecting themselves well and researching the company then they’re the ones (that are) getting an ‘A’. I like career fairs because I can observe that. You can’t observe that on a resume and it’s harder to detect that on the phone,” said Jeffery Kent, director of marketing and recruiting at Seaboard International Forest Products LLC. 

While CaPS works continuously on this fair throughout the year, their services do not stop there. Students are able to work with the staff to prepare themselves for anything that will help them succeed in their future.  

“They can talk to a career counselor at any time for a one-on-one appointment,” said Sprague.

CaPS has appointments available for all colleges within UNH, ranging from cover letter focus to salary negotiation. Students can set up appointments through Handshake. On March 31, CaPS will hold their newest event, the Professional Success Symposium, in the Memorial Union Building to talk about life after graduation. They will cover topics like filing taxes, employee benefit plans and finding a community in their professional life.