Smith Flips Spring Recruiting with Reverse Career Fair

This year the Office of Career Services and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business decided to turn the tables on students and recruiters as part of the spring Undergraduate Career Fair. For the first time, Smith held the Reverse Career Fair student leadership networking event the evening of Feb. 9, allowing employers the opportunity to stroll through a room of student leaders from 25 student organizations.

Hosted by the Smith Undergrad Student Association, the new component to the typical recruiting experience gave companies a unique opportunity to engage with students that have specific business interests that align with their company’s values.

“We decided to organize an event that would best allow our student leaders and company representatives to engage,” said Ashlee Kerkhoff, director of undergraduate career programming.

The Reverse Career Fair was held the night before the more traditional spring Undergraduate Career Fair, Feb. 10. Riggs Alumni Center echoed with handshakes and introductions as hundreds of Smith undergraduate students meet corporate recruiters from 71 companies.

The ballroom was lined with tables run by corporate representatives recruiting interns, externs and full-time positions from all eight of Smith’s majors. The well-dressed Smith students paced the aisles stopping at different tables to trade resumes for company-branded swag. The Smith spring Undergraduate Career Fair was a valuable opportunity for students to learn about and talk to renowned companies.

“We get to meet the people who will potentially hire us. It’s always good to have that early exposure in your studies,” sophomore Marie Carole Niava said. Niava, an international business and finance major, was looking for a summer internship.

In addition to participating in career fair activities, Smith students are constantly preparing for recruiting opportunities. The Smith School requires all freshmen to take a course that focuses on career search strategies. Personal branding, writing resume and cover letters, and interviewing etiquette are some of the skills highlighted in the course. These preparations in addition to hard work in the classroom are just some of the reasons Smith students feel prepared for recruiting opportunities.

“We learn how to go out be confident, apply those things you learn in the classroom and really talk about how they apply in the field,” said junior Meghan Donnelly. Donnelly, a finance and English major said that Smith classes and professors helped her prepare for networking opportunities, not only through academic content, but resume and etiquette advice.

Having a career fair during the Spring semester is a relatively new Smith ritual. While the Fall Career Fair has been around for years, the first spring event took place only just last year. Kerkhoff said the spring fair was added to take advantage of employers that recruit year round. Networking never sleeps and students find many opportunities through the Smith school.

“The networking opportunities are insane. Just dropping a resume, and getting some emails, and getting in contact with people is very valuable,” said junior marketing major Matthew Desouza.

Overall, representatives from 71 companies met with more than 550 undergraduates at the spring Undergraduate Career Fair. Companies included retail giants Ross and Target; finance companies Capital One, Wells Fargo and Merrill Edge; the “Big Four” accounting firms Deloitte, EY, KPMG, PwC; technology leader IBM; government agencies included the CIA; leading consumer brands Johnson & Johnson and PepsiCo; and new to the career fair – grocer Lidl and Choice Hotels.

- Julia Reed, intern, Office of Marketing Communications