Over the past year, career fairs at Auburn have looked differently due to COVID-19. Career fairs in the fall 2020 semester were completely virtual, and they will be spring semester as well.
Students can sign up for virtual career fairs through Career Fair Plus, which can be found through Handshake. Time slots are available throughout the day of the fair and students can choose what employers to speak with.
Mary Katherine Brasher, employer relations coordinator at Auburn University, plays a large role in the planning and execution of career fairs at Auburn. Though unexpected, she said the transition to online went smoothly.
“Transitioning the career fair from in-person to online was relatively easy and we learned different ways to run a career fair, but it has been a lot of fun," Brasher said.
She also said that the turn-out for the fall career fairs was very similar to past in-person career fairs.
“There has been a lot of positive feedback from employers and students,” Brasher said.
Brasher noticed there have been many benefits for students and employers with career fairs being online, including organization and scheduling for students.
“It’s great for students because they can have that set timeframe and employers have liked it because it’s easier for them to remember who they spoke with,” she said.
The virtual format eliminated students having to wait in line to speak with employers and has resulted in more one-on-one communication. It has also been easier for students to work into their schedule.
Some career fairs that were scheduled for spring 2020 were canceled after classes became remote. However, everything was able to run smoothly online in the fall and the career fair will operate in the same way this semester.
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