Last Friday, we had an opportunity to attend the Liberal Arts career fair at Virginia Tech. It was the college’s first attempt at a fair and it was a successful one.

The program and planning committee did not charge to attend. They kept it small at about 20-25 employers. Therefore, attendance was good and with fewer booths employers had more time with students. Perhaps next year personally inviting 20-25 local companies may make it even better.

The committee also focused on connecting students to employers. That is the primary reason for the fair. There were minimal logistics, which typically bog down other fairs.

The students were very engaging and were more than willing to talk to a stranger or a company they did not know much about.  This soft skill should not be overlooked, however, no one is going to hire someone just for this skill alone.

It was clear many of the students did not know what they wanted to do with their major.  This is fine, and I think this event helped them see what was out there.

Those who did know were often focused on careers where competition is intense (i.e. journalism, professional writing, sports). Therefore, these students must do something that differentiates themselves from the rest of the pack. They must use successful job search strategies to break into these industries.

Overall, it was a good first attempt to connect local employers to these students at Virginia Tech.  By reducing the number of logistics and differentiating themselves from other on-campus fairs (free to attend) will result in employers wanting to return next year or possibly in the spring.