Southern Utah University’s Sharwan Smith Student Center Ballroom was filled with employers from all over the U.S on Wednesday, Oct. 29, for the Career and Professional Development biannual Career and Internship Fair. Students curious about networking or seeking positions were invited to explore the various opportunities available.
The Career and Internship Fair is an event organized once a semester by SUU’s Career Center to help students and alumni find full-time jobs, part-time positions or internships.
A variety of companies were present at the event, including The Sherwin-Williams Company, Utah Conservation Corp, Panda Restaurant Group and Stantec. Along with them, direct sponsors were also in attendance, such as Brian Head Recreation and Eagle Point Resort. A total of 45 companies attended the event.
David Nguin, talent acquisition partner for Panda Restaurant Group, promoted the group’s summer internship program, while bringing a new type of company to the fair, as engineering and commercial companies made up the majority present.
“We’re open to all degrees, but it’s mainly focused on restaurant management, hospitality, business management, finance and marketing,” said Nguin. “That way (students) could learn what it’s like to work in a restaurant and also how to run a business and really look at it from a managerial and leadership ownership.”
At the entrance, students were given a name tag and a choice of three colors of stickers to indicate their objectives for the event: red for students just exploring, yellow for networking and green for the students who were ready to get hired.
Hermani Estrada, a student at SUU, expressed appreciation for the event, noting that it is an efficient way to explore potential career paths.
“The career fair opens a lot of doors for students that are looking for opportunities and trying to find out what they want to get into,” said Estrada. “I am looking for an internship in the accounting field and I want to know whether I want to do auditing or taxes, so I just want to see what is a good fit for me and what the fair offers.”
Nguin shared that as a college student, he secured a full-time managerial position at Starbucks before graduating, thanks to attending a similar career fair. He encourages students to do the same.
“You never know what comes out of it, and you might not work there forever, but when you’re new in the workforce and a student, you’re trying to build experience and that’s the most important thing, no matter what job it is,” said Nguin. “So my biggest advice for students is to take advantage of all these different free affairs, mock interviews or whatever the school offers.”
For more information about the Career Center and its services, visit its website and Instagram.
Author: Fanny Felixine
Editor: Brooklyn Beard
Photos by Margaux Feret
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