Students interact virtually with future employers at spring career fair

The biannual career fair, which connects Baylor students with potential employers, was held in an online platform this year. The event took place on February 24. Photo courtesy of the Baylor Career Center

By Clara Lincicome | Reporter

The Baylor University Career Center hosted their biannual career fair Wednesday, Feb. 24. The campus-wide event was made up of “multiple locations and employers connecting with all majors and fields of study.”

This semester, the career fair opted for a virtual format in order to comply with Baylor’s COVID-19 guidelines, and students were offered the opportunity to engage in one-on-one or group online sessions with various potential employers.

San Antonio sophomore Emma Killeen attended four group sessions Wednesday for her first experience with the career fair, one of which was for a personal “dream company” that she said she hopes to work for after graduation.

“The career fair is an opportunity for students to meet with companies and get a little bit more information about what a company is about and if they are hiring, internship opportunities and just to get their name out there to certain companies they’re interested in,” Killeen said.

Littleton, Colo., sophomore Haley West attended the virtual career fair as a requirement for her career development class.

While she said she is not yet looking for a job, West went into the sessions feeling “exploratory,” looking to learn more about various types of businesses and potential employers.

West said she attended a group session with a non-profit and a property management company, and described the experience as “chill and laid back” in comparison to the in-person format.

While Killeen said she missed the in-person connection of a handshake and a face-to-face introduction, she said meeting with certain companies virtually was “really fascinating” and that she loved hearing about what they had to offer.

Killeen also emphasized that she thinks Baylor is going above and beyond to provide students with an abundance of resources in order to set students up for success.

“Baylor gives us a lot of resources. Right now I am taking a professional development class which is all about resumes, internships, interviews and setting me up for getting a job out of college,” Killeen said. “It’s a sweet opportunity to expand what it looks like to get a job, and to interview, and I think they do really well with that.”