Virtual Career Fairs Offer Signs of Hope for Job-hunting Students

03/05/2021
By Ed Brennen

Senior psychology major Molly Polanek showed up well-prepared for her first career fair. Not only did she have her résumé ready to go, but she researched the employers with whom she planned to meet and wrote a list of detailed questions for each of them.

And she did it all from the comfort of her home in Milford, Massachusetts.

Polanek was among the more than 650 UMass Lowell students who participated in the recent virtual STEM and Spring Career Fairs hosted by the Career & Co-op Center.

Recruiters from nearly 130 companies met with students one-on-one and in group sessions over the course of the two-day event, which was held once again on the networking and job search platform Handshake. 

The STEM Career Fair featured a lineup of 73 employers, including Analog Devices, Eversource Energy, Massachusetts General Hospital and MIT Lincoln Laboratory. 

According to Karen O’Donnell, manager of business operations and special events for Career Services, 450 students participated in the three-hour STEM fair and logged more than 1,800 interactions with employers — mostly in the one-on-one setting.

“The students were really productive, which we were pleased to see,” O’Donnell says.

The following day, 55 employers — including Bank of America, CVS Health, EY, Putnam Investments and Sherwin-Williams — recruited business, social sciences, liberal arts and health sciences majors at the Spring Career Fair.

Some 213 students attended, and they had nearly 800 one-on-one and group interactions with employers over the course of the three-hour event.

While the U.S. economy is still down about 10 million jobs since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year and the nation’s unemployment rate is at 6.3%, there is hope that increasing vaccinations and a new federal rescue aid package will spur hiring this spring.

“We’re seeing a flurry of job postings on Handshake,” says O’Donnell, who has spoken with companies that are feeling more comfortable bringing workers back to the office. “Hopefully, these graduates are going to have a good selection.”

“We’re seeing a flurry of job postings on Handshake. Hopefully, these graduates are going to have a good selection.” -Career Services’ Karen O’Donnell

The Spring Career Fair is typically held in March at the Tsongas Center to accommodate the hockey schedule and other events, but O’Donnell says the virtual event was moved up to late February this year at the request of employers.

Alison Reilly, university relations manager at CVS Health, says a lot of area schools are holding fairs in late March and April — which is too late for her St. Patrick’s Day deadline to meet hiring numbers.

“For the students, it’s a big plus that UMass Lowell is earlier rather than later,” Reilly says. 

Polanek, who is enrolled in the Bachelor’s to Master’s Program and was hoping to find an internship for the fall, says she enjoyed the virtual format.
 
“The video call setup was still personal enough that I could make a connection with an employer, while also learning more about the company,” she says. “I really enjoyed my meetings with the Massachusetts Trial Court and the Key Program because I feel that they could potentially have great opportunities for me.”

During her group session with the Key Program, a nonprofit social service agency focused on helping children, youth and their families, Polanek asked recruiter Joanna Davis how students can stand out in interviews during the pandemic. She also asked Davis to describe a typical day at the agency.

“I was very comfortable with it. Each session got better and better,” Polanek says. “Afterward, I felt excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.”

To help students prepare for the virtual fairs, Career Services hosted several Q&A sessions on Zoom. Career Services Director Kerry Willard Bray also moderated a “Navigating Virtual Career Fairs” panel featuring recruiters from Enterprise Holding, Liberty Mutual and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. 

“Meeting with an employer one-on-one at the career fair can be a little intimidating if you’ve never done it before,” Willard Bray says. “When it’s virtual, it’s just you and the employer for 10 minutes with no other distractions. We were able to give students some added confidence in their ability to do that.”

For undergraduate business, engineering and science students looking for a three- or six-month co-op this summer, Career Services hosted a special networking and recruitment event in early March called “The Co-op Connection.” More than 30 employers from across the region attended, which drew 125 students.