Career centers at Florida’s 12 public universities, led by the University of Florida’s Career Connections Center, will virtually host the 2021 Virtual Statewide Job Fair on June 10 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Current students and alumni from the participating institutions can register to attend at no cost beginning today, May 20.
About 215 organizations have signed up, more than double the number of organizations that attended in 2020 and nearly 50 more than in 2019. Employers – including Fort Myers Broadcasting Co., the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Morgan Stanley and Tech Data Corporation, a Fortune 500 company – are recruiting undergraduate students, graduate students and alumni for full-time, part-time and temporary positions across industries.
The timing of the fair enables students and alumni to connect with employers still filling open positions for summer, said Angel Iverson, director for career foundations at the Career Connections Center, or C3.
“This is a premiere opportunity to engage with employers you may not have met at your home institution,” she said. “We have employers coming from all across the country to give students a chance to build new connections.”
The fair will take place on Career Fair Plus, a free app designed for virtual career fairs. The app enables attendees to schedule one-on-one live chats or video calls with recruiters, as well as sort employers by the experience level they’re seeking and the open positions they offer. Representatives from the Florida Career Centers, the consortium of 12 universities spearheading the event, will also staff a virtual meeting room on the platform where students can drop in for tips on networking with employers, navigating Career Fair Plus and more.
“I’m really proud of the diversification of the industries represented,” Iverson said. “We have industries such as hospitality, construction, media, finance, healthcare, tech, education – you name it. I think it really meets the needs of a broad population of students and alumni.”
Iverson said attendees should nail down a summary of their background, relevant experience and interests – called an “elevator pitch” – regardless of whether employers plan on live-chatting or video calling. Time slots with recruiters will continue to become available as they set their schedules leading up to June 10, so registrants should continue to check Career Fair Plus for appointments.
The increase in participating employers from last year, which was the first time the fair took place virtually, could signal companies have clear hiring needs to meet as they rebound from pandemic-related pauses, Iverson added. This year marks the first time the Florida Career Centers elected UF as the host institution.
“Our focus is on students and alumni, but this supports businesses’ talent management and economic development, too.” Iverson said. “This is a broad reaching effort where we’re all coming together.”
The C3 offers resources to help students prepare for career fairs, including guides for resumes and LinkedIn profiles, a professional clothing lending service, and same-day virtual appointments with career coaches.
Learn more about the C3 at UF.
Source: Angel Iverson, aiverson@ufsa.ufl.edu