The Fall Career Fair is back in-person today with 120 companies featured until Friday, Oct. 8 in the Multi-Activity Center.
The Career Fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and interviews by invitation will be held after each session from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Students can expect to see employers in the fields of engineering, construction management, sales, food and beverage, government, architecture and more. A list of the companies attending and where they will be located on campus is available on the MustangJOBS website.
The annual Fall Career Fair is a place for students to experience in-person networking with more than 100 employers, and pursue an internship, job or co-op position. According to Career Services, 3,300 students have signed up for the fall career fair, but they expect to have around 4,000 attend.
Executive Director of Career Services Eileen Buecher said she feels that what makes Cal Poly’s career fair special is the alumni interaction and student engagement over the course of the week. Buecher said 40% of employers at the career fair are Cal Poly alumni.
“It’s an experience where we are seeing these career-ready students connect with alumni and employers through the ‘learn by doing’ motto,” Buecher said.
Civil engineering senior Amy Chapman attended the career fair in 2019 as a sophomore, looking to make connections with employers in hopes to secure an internship for the following summer. After a full day of networking, Chapman received multiple interviews and eventually accepted an internship with GCI General Contractors. Two years later, Chapman is still interning with the company and has recently received a full-time offer.
“Without going to the career fair, I would have had no idea how to actually seek out an internship,” Chapman said. “I think what makes the career fair so impactful is that you get to interact with the companies face to face instead of just sending in a piece of paper.”
The maximum capacity at the career fair is 300 students in the building at a time due to COVID-19 safety guidelines. Students can pre-register for a specific time block on each day, but walk-ins are also welcome.
Registration is also now open for a virtual career fair that goes from Oct. 12 to Oct. 14.