By SHANI CARRINGTON ’18

Career fairs can be daunting. Speaking to potential employers often is intimidating, especially for those unfamiliar with the experience. One such student, Erin Misner ’17, wanted to look for opportunities early. She attended Arcadia’s Internship and Career Fair, held on Oct. 21 in the Kuch Center Gymnasium, to network with potential future employers.

“It’s been nerve-racking, but they’ve given me good advice at the tables I went to,” Misner said.

More than 250 students and alumni came dressed in their sharpest business attire with intentions of making a good first impression.

Sponsored by the Office of Career Education, the fair featured nearly 100 different organizations such as Northwestern Mutual, Fox Chase Cancer Center, and the U.S. Coast Guard. To help students prepare and navigate their way through the day, Campus Philly held three interactive sessions leading up to the fair, teaching skills and networking techniques that would help students communicate with employers and internship opportunities.

“Aside from it being the largest [Career Fair] we have ever hosted and one of the biggest in the region, the feedback thus far has been very positive,” said Mark Gress, interim director of Career Education at Arcadia. “Many of the employers and graduate schools were impressed with the quality of the candidates in attendance.”

Representing Prudential Financial, Elizabeth Wolf ’13 and her colleagues noted the increase of employers and internship opportunities and remarked that students were well-prepared: for example, many brought copies of their resumes, impressing employers. Wolf received a job with Prudential after meeting representatives from the company at a Career and Internship Fair two years ago.

“The students are really positive,” said Larry Rubin of Adults with Developmental Disabilities, an organization that has been attending Arcadia’s Career Fair since 2008. “You can tell they did their homework before coming and have targeted who they want to talk to.”