On Friday, John Paul Jones Arena hosted the first Commerce Career Day at the University of Virginia open to all UVA students. UVA students got a chance to show off their professional side and hand off resumes while networking with over 80 organizations.
Geico, Comcast, Teach for America and Capital One are just a few of the organizations on the lookout for soon-to-be UVA grads. Kelly Jackson, a recruiter with Alarm.com, says face time is necessary.
"There's things you can't really gain from a resume alone, so being able to pair that with actually having a conversation, ask the questions and actually get to know someone on that level and actually see the details behind the lines, the numbers and GPA is really helpful," he said.
Students took advantage of the chance to add a face and personality to their resume.
Deeksha Kola, a fourth-year cognitive science student said, "They tell you that if they remember you, your name and if they can recognize you, that's really what determines if you get the job."
Laura Cushing, a recruiter with Genworth Financial added, "UVA's a great place to recruit students from. We have a lot of people, a lot of great employers on our team that went to UVA so we wanted to come here to recruit."
She says it's never too early to start showing interest in potential employers. "If you show that you have the drive and motivation to come out here and talk to us, we remember that and we remember that when you interview," said Cushing.
Students also had the opportunity to attend panel discussions the evening before the fair at Rouss and Robertson halls. During the panels, students were taught about career-related topics such as advertising, finance and accounting, marketing, and information technology.
UVA plans to have another career fair for graduate students Tuesday, September 25.
Reported by Molly Balkenbush
