As the school year is off to a quick start, students are eager to learn more about their career options at this semester’s Career and Internship Fair held in the Rec Plex. The Mirror spoke to a senior, junior and a sophomore before the big event who each spoke to the necessity of preparing for an event this important. Jenna Walsh ‘27, Gabriella Fideleo ‘26 and Abigail Ross ‘25 shared some insights into their to-do list before the event and what students can look forward to at the fair.
Jenna Walsh ‘27 is just a sophomore, attending her first career fair at Fairfield University. As a biology major and behavioral neuroscience minor, she is currently seeking internships and job opportunities in the healthcare field, like a great deal of other students here.
She is attending the fair so that she can network with top companies and said, “I hope to discover new opportunities in the healthcare field.” These companies include Hartford Healthcare and ScribeAmerica.
In order to perform well at the fair, Walsh explained that she is diligently working on crafting and updating her resume and will be utilizing the Kelley Center’s services to print her resume on resume paper. In addition to this, she is researching all of the companies that she is interested in so that she has something prepared to say to them to stand out and indicate that she is interested in their organization.
Walsh gained these skills by enrolling in the Sophomore Success Program offered through the Career Center. Although the class has only just started for her, she has already learned how to create a sophisticated resume and hone in on her career interests.
Similar to Walsh, Gabriella Fideleo ‘26, also attended Sophomore Success. Through this program, Fideleo says, “I was able to get my resume edited and my LinkedIn set up. I also learned how to write a proper cover letter and practiced other useful networking skills, like reciting elevator pitches and doing mock interviews.”
This program prepared her a great deal for the Career Fair last year, as she had a very positive experience.
Fideleo ‘26 said, “I am still in contact with some industry professionals I met and have learned a lot from them. I hope to take a similar pathway this year, but apply to more diverse internships.”
Fideleo is currently a junior finance and economics major with an international business minor. She enjoys financial and investment management, so she researched companies that align with those interests.
Like most of the Class of 2026, Fideleo has a very specific reason for attending the fair. She says, “I am seeking an internship for Summer 2025, which will hopefully turn into a full-time offer, but I also hope to build my network, as well as speak with industry professionals in fields I am interested in.”
She is specifically looking at Franklin Templeton, JP Morgan, Bank of America, Monte and Barnum. Fideleo ‘26 investigated these companies all on Handshake, through the university’s website, so that she could be prepared to discuss opportunities with them at the fair.
Fideleo believes that researching companies before the fair is key to connecting with them, understanding your company desires and making a good first impression on possible future employers. Through great investigation, Fideleo discovered that the aforementioned companies all “have good company culture and room for growth.”
Additionally, members of the Class of 2025 who are looking for future career opportunities are welcome to attend. Abigail Ross ‘25, has attended two career fairs in the past and will be in attendance at this year’s Career and Internship Fair.
Ross is a Senior psychology major with minors in management and public health, looking for a potential job in Human Resources. At the fair, Ross said “I hope to gain more experience talking to recruiters, give my resume out and explore opportunities available to me… if a job comes out of it, then I will be very happy.”
To prepare for this task, Ross also was enrolled in Sophomore Success in the 2022-23 academic school year. In this program, she learned how to create a resume and a LinkedIn account from scratch, interview with companies, explore career paths and draft an elevator pitch.
Ross ‘25 says, “This is my third career fair and I do not think I ever would have attended one if I wasn’t a part of this program [Sophomore Success]”.
Ross believes that the program prepared her well for looking for jobs and attending the Career and Internship Fair. This year she will be preparing by going to the Career Center to edit and print her resume and practicing an updated elevator pitch.
Her only hope this year is that there is a more diverse grouping of companies present. Ross ‘25 said, “last year, I did not appreciate how focused it was on the Dolan School of Business students, as they have many more opportunities than the College of Arts and Sciences to look for jobs.”
Those interested in learning more about companies attending the fair are encouraged to look at the university’s Handshake and attend the fair today, Sept. 25, 2024.