The rain didn’t stop students from cramming into the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Thursday for what organizers are calling the largest career fair the University has organized.
About 285 companies and federal agencies set up booths on the arena floor and in the concession area that surrounds the facility, said Don Howard, Career Services associate director.
This year included more organizations and more students than previous years, Howard said. And a variety of different organizations participated, offering job and internship opportunities for myriad majors.
“Student traffic has been surprisingly brisk,” Howard said.
And there were lots of students for potential employers to meet.
Al Busch manned a display about the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Busch, who graduated from the University with a veterinary degree in 1984, explained the different possibilities available within the federal department.
He serves as the head federal veterinarian for food safety for Louisiana and said working for the USDA is rewarding.
Busch said he was specifically recruiting veterinary, biochemistry, biology and other specific science majors. But when a student with a concentration that is not part of the USDA’s work approaches him, he said he is happy to discuss other possibilities.
“I try to recruit for all government jobs,” he said.
A table set up by the Louisiana Legislative Auditors office offered job possibilities for students with accounting backgrounds.
They also encouraged students to apply for internships during the school year, said Kyle Farrar, a senior performance auditor with the office.
Nicholas Dauzat, mechanical engineering senior, said he spoke with several employers about jobs for after he graduates in May.
More companies provided feedback and looked at his resume this year because he will be graduating soon, he said.
“I saw a lot more employers this time than last year,” he said. “I got a lot more feedback. This is very good for seniors.”
And the fair offered options for those who are not graduating in the near future.
Trang Tang came to the fair hoping to get a job to hold while she gets her master’s degree. She is an accounting senior at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and will be attending LSU in the spring.
“I’m really glad I skipped school to come here today,” said Tang, who drove from Lafayette to participate in the fair. “This is an amazing amount of companies.”
—-Contact Ginger Gibson at [email protected]