Fourth Estate/Valentina Fala

Mason students and alumni meet employers in-person at the 2024 Spring Career Fair

BY VALENTINA FALA, STAFF WRITER

Students and attendees came prepared in their best business attire with their resume in hand to score themselves potential job opportunities at Mason’s 2024 Spring Career Fair. 

On Feb. 21 and 22, Mason students and alumni seeking career opportunities attended the university’s 2024 Spring Career Fair at Dewberry Hall in the Johnson Center. 

The two-day event featured more than 200 employers from a variety of industries. Attendees were able to ask career-related questions, establish professional relationships and discuss potential employment opportunities. Those who came from any background and with a vast range of interests, majors, minors and extracurriculars were invited to check out the fair.

Mary Claire Kraft, Senior Manager at the University Career Services, has been involved in organizing the career fair for six years, this year having one of the largest participation rates, according to Kraft. “The spring career fair…is the place to be. Thousands of students stream in employers from all across the country. It’s really very exciting.”

Saskia Campbell, Executive Director of University Career Services, explained that the career fair offers students the opportunity for internships and full-time or part-time jobs. “We are encouraging students to get six to 12 months of relevant experience before they graduate. So finding an internship or a part time job to build the resume and to build skills is really critical,” Campbell said. 

Each year, alumni that have been hired by the companies at previous career fairs return to Mason to provide guidance on pursuing professional connections. “One of the benefits of the fairs is that we have a lot of Mason alumni returning and so they’re designated with an alumni ribbon,” Campbell said.   

Jesse Pulliam, Camp Director at Calleva, attended the fair to recruit students to work at their organization. “We’ve been to George Mason in the past and have worked with a lot of students from Mason. They’ve been excellent and that has brought us back to hire.”

Students like Senior Maaz Abbasi were prepared to impress employers. “It was a great experience because it was good to be reassured by employers that you might not have the necessary degree, but you could still have the necessary skill set. So I highly recommend everyone to come to the career fair.”

Virtual career fairs were held for students who were unable to attend the in-person career fair. This allowed students to meet with employers and seek career opportunities over Zoom. 

The next big event for University Career Services was the Education Recruitment Day on Mar. 13. Employers will be reviewing resumes and selecting candidates to interview them on site. “Students could walk away at the end of the day with a job offer,” Campbell said.