The 2025 Spring Career and Internship Fair is in three weeks on Wednesday, March 19, located in Ping Recreation Center. From 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., students can network with various employers, connect with recruiters and explore potential industries.
Over 60 employers are set to attend the upcoming career fair, all from various industries and regions. Event, Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator Hannah Hackworth spoke about catering to students who are looking for employers within Ohio.
"I try to do some more targeted marketing for Ohio companies and employers,” Hackworth said. “It’s important to us to cater to those students who stay in the state.”
OHIO Today said more than 70% of OU students stay in the state after graduation. As Ohio employers are targeted, Career Services as well as individual colleges reach out to thousands of employers.
Holly Seckinger, executive director of employer engagement, said students are not required to register to attend the career fair. She said she would prefer a student to attend than to worry about whether they registered prior or not.
“We don’t want there to be any barriers to coming,” Seckinger said.
Students may wear business professional or business casual, and Seckinger included because the fair is in Ping, students are welcome to dress however they would like if they have an interest.
“If I was a freshman and I was working out at Ping, and I wanted to go walk through the fair … go ahead,” Seckinger said.
The Career Closet is a resource that provides students with business attire for events such as career fairs. Students can visit the closet Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with no appointment necessary.
Seckinger said having the career fair in Ping allows people to see what is happening inside the fair rather than being behind closed doors.
“My hope is always that if students are just in there, working out in there, to see the career fair, then they’ll be like, ‘Oh, I could totally do that next time.’” Seckinger said.
She added that the location may be less intimidating to students and destigmatize the experience.
“If you’ve gone as a freshman and gone as a sophomore, those kinds of nerves are out, you know what it looks like,” Seckinger said. “You know what it’s like to stand in line, to go up and introduce yourself to somebody.”
Michael Frisina, a junior studying sports management and marketing, spoke about the difference in attending a career fair both freshman and sophomore year.
“I was definitely more confident this time around,” Frisina said. “When I went to my first career fair, it was freshman year, I was super nervous. I expected to be face-to-face with a ton of different sports teams and sports employees and employers.”
Seckinger said that she has heard employers talk about students they have recognized from attending career fairs year after year and some end up hiring the students they recognize.
“Afterwards, I stayed in contact with everyone who I had talked to,“ Frisina said. "However, my closest contact was obviously with the Guardians, and I was fortunate enough to build that contact into a part-time internship over the summer time."
Frisina said students should follow up with employers after career fairs, like sending a thank you note.
“Give something that they can remember you with and your email, that’s super important,” Frisina said.
Career Services at OU equips students with career support such as drop-in coaching or scheduling an appointment with a career coach. Prior to career fairs, students can utilize the services provided by Career Services to feel prepared.
Drop-in coaching can help prepare students for career fairs in numerous ways, from resume reviews to helping students create a LinkedIn profile and write cover letters.
Hackworth spoke about peer coaches and undergraduate students within Career Services who work with students.
“(They are) all representative of every single college on campus, which I’m really proud of,“ Hackworth said. "I’m really proud that there’s such a diverse student experience."
Coaches are available to meet in person, virtually through Microsoft Teams or over the phone Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
