UWRF career fair attracts companies

The annual Career Fair at UW-River Falls is just a few days away and this year, students can expect to see a few notable changes.

According to the Career Service’s website, the Career Fair is an event in which various organizations come to UWRF to network with students and present the possibility of a job or internship in the future.

The fair will be held in the University Center Ballroom on Oct. 13 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

This year there will be a dress code that students who plan on attending the fair will be required to follow.

“The issue we’ve had in the past was that students were not dressing professionally and the employers at the fair noticed this,” said Career Fair Coordinator Kirsten Blake. “We want to bring in more employers to the fair every year and keep the old ones coming back, and if UWRF isn’t viewed as professional, they are not going to return to recruit our students.”

Students who attend the fair are being told to dress to impress. Suits, ties, khakis, dress pants, dress shoes, knee-length skirts, sweaters, dress shirts and blazers are encouraged.

Jeans aren’t being outlawed but none with holes will be allowed and they must be paired with a nice dress shirt.

“We will be turning people away who aren’t dressed appropriately,” Blake said. “No sweatshirts, sweatpants, shorts, t-shirts, pants with holes, hats or flip flops.”

Another change to the Career Fair will be the prep session that takes place a few days before on Oct. 11 from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. in the Falcon’s Nest in the University Center.

At the prep session there will be various booths that students can visit to get their resumes critiqued, practice introductions, learn how to dress for the fair and learn about attending employers.

“The prep session is to help students feel more confident and prepare themselves for when they go to the Career Fair,” Blake said.

Students will also have an opportunity to visit the help tables in the University Center on Oct. 11 and 12 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. for resume critiques and Career Fair information.

There will be close to 80 employers at the fair this year, similar to last year’s turnout.

This year there will be 12 employers who have never been to UWRF’s Career Fair and eight employers who were not there last year but have been in previous years.

According to Career Counselor McKenna Pfeiffer, the fair is a great preliminary networking opportunity and all students of all majors are being encouraged to attend.

“If an employer is at the fair, they are looking for students to recruit for positions they may have, or will have available in the future,” Blake said. “Students can go to find jobs or internships, learn about grad schools or to network with employers.”

For more information on the Career Fair, you can contact Career Services, located at 211 Hagestad Hall at 425-3572.