ERIE, Pa. — More than 1,200 students attended Penn State Behrend’s fall Career and Internship Fair, which featured recruiters from 187 companies, including Bausch & Lomb, ExxonMobil and the Naval Nuclear Laboratory.
Recruiters set up in Erie Hall and McGarvey Commons, meeting students to discuss full-time, part-time, co-op and internship opportunities. Several companies, including Port Erie Plastics, visited Behrend in advance of the career fair, screening students for openings in their fields.
Behrend hosts two career fairs every year. Both are open to students at any Erie County college and university, and to students and alumni of any Penn State campus. The spring career fair also includes a public track, for positions that do not require a college degree.
Students are encouraged to attend the career fair beginning in their first year at Behrend. The college’s new five-year strategic plan includes a target of 100% engagement in career-development programming in each of the first two years of undergraduate study.
The career fair can position students for success after college, said Michelle Hartmann, associate director of corporate engagement at Behrend. The Career Services team also offers resume and cover letter reviews, guidance on salary negotiations and a Career Closet, where students can borrow suits, shirts, shoes and ties.
“The career fair is an important step in that process,” Hartmann said, “but it’s just one step. What happens next is often just as important: We encourage students to follow-up and build on the connections they made. That keeps you top-of-mind for an employer. That’s how you stand out.”