The Management and Communication Virtual Career Fair is being held this Thursday, Feb. 21 from noon to 4 p.m. 

 The fair is open to students from the Ness School of Management and Economics, School of Communication and Journalism and Hospitality Management.

“We thought it would make more sense to have one virtual fair rather than three little fairs,” Sherry Fuller Bordewyk, director of Career Development, said. “Students will get the chance to connect to other employers from other fairs.”

There will be over 30 employers in attendance, including Target, Larson Manufacturing, Daktronics, SDN Communications, Fresh Produce and more. Representatives from these companies will talk to students to potentially hire them. 

“Even if you have an internship lined up for this summer, you should still attend the fair,” Bordewyk said.

Bordewyk also said one of the major benefits of this format is not having to compete with a crowd of peers during the fair.

Students can sign up with as many employers that can fit in their schedule. Students can sign up for group sessions which are 30 minutes long, or individual sessions that are 10 minutes long.

“The group session is you and up to 50 other students listening to a presentation by the employer and asking questions at the end, but an individual session is more of a personal session where it is just you and the employer asking questions,” Bordewyk said. 

Employers can look at resumes and portfolios before they talk to students or even before the fair starts.

“Even though this is a virtual fair, this is still your best opportunity to talk with employers,” said Bordewyk. “It is never too soon to network.”

Dylan Haskell, a junior at South Dakota State University, gave his input on the fair from last year. 

“The fair was a great experience,” he said. “The atmosphere was my favorite thing about the fair, all the businesses were very welcoming. I would tell a student who is thinking about going to go and make connections for your future.”