Career Services is hosting the annual Fall Job and Internship Fair Thursday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. 

This year, the fair will be in both the Grand Ballroom and the University Ballroom because of the increase in employers attending. 

With a total of 94 employers this year, students of all majors will benefit from attending the fair, said Bobbi Kingery, director of Career Services. 

Kingery said another new addition this year is a student lounge in the 1895 room where students can go to review the floor plan of the fair and enjoy snacks, water and iced tea. 

“It’s a place where if they talk to somebody then they want to come destress, that’s going to be available for them,” Kingery said. “We usually have it for the employers, but we’ve never had the funds to do it for the students (until this year), so I think that’s going to be a neat addition to it.” 

Kingery said the most important information for students to know about the fair is to attend no matter what.  

“I think sometimes students are nervous (or) they feel underprepared,” she said. “It’s intimidating to walk into a ballroom full of employers, but they should go and even if they don’t talk to many people, they get over that fear.” 

The more students that attend, Kingery said, the more employers she can recruit and schedule for the future fairs.  

Of the 94 organizations attending the fair Thursday, Kingery said students of all majors will benefit from attending too. 

She said accounting majors will benefit the most from the fall fair because that is the only time accounting businesses recruit; they are busy with tax season during the spring fair. 

Students who may avoid the fair because of their fear of selling themselves to potential employers have ways to prepare ahead of time, Kingery said.  

“If you’re not sure how to promote yourself and you’re not sure how to start that conversation, do some research on the companies,” Kingery said. “Do some research on the companies see what they’re looking for and be able to speak to that.  

The list of employers attending the fair can be found on the Career Services website. (https://www.eiu.edu/careers/job_intern_fair.php) 

Kingery said it is best for students to prepare themselves ahead of time because the number one reason to attend the fair is to network and employers are physically available for one-on-one conversations. 

“The hardest thing when we start looking for an internship or a full-time position is getting in front of people,” she said. “You hear students complain all the time about applying online and never hearing back or sending a cover letter and never hearing anything.” 

Kingery reminded students planning to attend to dress for the occasion. 

“That doesn’t mean a suit for everybody,” she said. “Dressing appropriately can be business casual, you know, pants and a nice button-down shirt.” 

She said she does not want to ward off students who feel they do not have the “perfect look”, because as long as they do not show up in sweatpants and sweatshirts, they will be perfectly fine.  

Hannah Shillo can be reached at 581-2812 or hlshillo@eiu.edu