Students attend MN private job fair

Whether a student is a freshman still figuring out their career path or a senior on the hunt for their first professional job, the Experience and Professional Development (XPD) office said the Minnesota Private Colleges Career Fair has something to offer.

The annual fair brings together students from across Minnesota’s private colleges with employers who are actively looking to hire.

Roseann Bailey, External Engagement and Office of Undergraduate Research Program Manager, said the event is one of the most valuable opportunities available to students throughout the academic year.

“There are employers there that are ready to hire. They’re ready to hire interns, they’re ready to hire summer employees, they’re ready to hire for professional jobs,” Bailey said.

While the career fair is a must-attend event for juniors and seniors actively seeking internships or full-time positions, Bailey emphasized that underclassmen have just as much to gain from showing up.

For freshmen and sophomores, the fair serves as a low-pressure introduction to professional networking.

Students can begin practicing their elevator pitches, learn how to initiate and exit conversations with employers and start building the communication skills that will serve them in future job searches.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman, sophomore or junior; you can always use more practice,” Bailey said.

She also said the fair is an ideal setting for students who are still undecided about their career direction.

Simply having conversations with professionals from a range of industries can help students narrow their focus or realize that a path they thought they wanted
isn’t quite the right fit.

“Just having those conversations helps open those doors for them to realize that, hey, this is definitely a direction I want to go, or maybe this isn’t,” Bailey said.

New this year, the XPD office hosted an alumni speed networking dinner the evening before the career fair, running from 6 to 8 p.m. in Upper Gorecki.

The event, which replaced the traditional day-of lunch held in previous years, was designed to give students a chance to prepare and build confidence before they
stepped onto the fair floor.

Approximately 20 alumni attended, bringing with them professional experience and a firsthand understanding of what it’s like to be in the students’ shoes.

“They were in the same place as all of you at one point,” Bailey said.

During the dinner, alumni worked with students on practical professional skills: refining elevator pitches, getting comfortable with networking conversation and even
learning how to gracefully exit a conversation, a skill that often goes overlooked but can make a big difference in a high-energy networking environment.

Bailey was quick to clarify what the dinner was and wasn’t meant to be.

Students weren’t expected to attend and land a job or internship on the spot.

Instead, the focus was on preparation.

“The alumni are here to help the students prep and be ready,” Bailey said.

Attendees also enjoyed a build-your-own burrito bowl while they networked.

Students interested in attending were encouraged to sign up in advance, though Bailey noted that last-minute arrivals were welcome.

“If there are a few that show up, we are not going to complain. We want this to be for everyone,” Bailey said.

For Bailey and the XPD team, the career fair is about more than just landing a job.

It’s about building habits and skills that students will carry with them long after graduation.

“The more you can get in front of employers, the better. Not only to expand their knowledge of how to network, but to understand what employers are looking for and how to communicate with them,” Bailey said.