As a student, I find career fairs can be intimidating. There are so many companies to try and speak with and so many students from all around campus to compete against. While recruiting events are great opportunities to meet companies in-person, they can still feel overwhelming. When I was charged with the task of putting together the Meet the TEKs technology career fair, I was worried about formulating an event that felt intimidating and overwhelming to attend as a student. A bi-annual event hosted by TEK club, Meet the TEKs brings representatives from companies looking to hire for technology positions to the David Eccles School of Business campus. I knew by accepting the challenge of putting on this event, I would have a part in creating the overwhelming career fair environments I’d grown to know. I expected that both the other students and I wouldn’t have the opportunity to talk with everyone we wanted to. However, at this year’s Meet the TEKs, I found that was not the case.
As I entered the room and began to talk with a few employers, my nerves began to ease. I was able to talk with all of my target companies. There was never a line that was longer than five minutes to meet with employers, and some of the largest tech companies in the Salt Lake Valley attended the fair. I was able to leave my resume with Adobe, Domo and Intermountain Healthcare, just to name a few. In addition, I was able to chat with the representatives from companies for longer than I expected. There was one representative from Intermountain Healthcare who enjoyed our conversation so much, she gave me several business contacts from the company to make sure I got an internship this summer. The student-to-employer ratio was better than at most career fairs – relieving some of the pressure of making conversations quick and allowing all students a chance to talk with their desired companies.
In addition to networking with the different employers, Meet the TEKs was also a great opportunity to socialize with other students and professors. While taking a break to grab some appetizers, I talked with students I had never met before. I even received internship advice from a few of them who already had jobs in the fields I am interested in. I appreciated their willingness to share feedback, especially from someone who had been in my current position.
The calm environment of Meet the TEKs was unlike traditional career fairs, and it made for a rich networking experience. After talking with some of the employers, I feel my chances of getting one of the internships I’ve applied for are greater. I also discovered internship opportunities I wouldn’t have known about without attending this event – some of which are exactly the type of positions I’m looking for. I am excited at the prospects I gained from Meet the TEKs, and I look forward to participating in this fair in future semesters.