Reba Beaudry-

The second of four Internship Fairs for this 2024-25 school year is coming up soon. From 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 20th in the Nobel Atrium, students will have a chance to meet face-to-face with potential employers for internship and job opportunities. All of the employers that will be there are actively hiring and looking for interns. 

This specific Internship Fair is targeted towards the sciences, but even if you aren’t majoring in that field, there are still job opportunities for those folks. “Everyone is included, business, economics, the sciences (including psychology), the arts and humanities,” Coordinator Julie Rudolf said. For each of these fairs, they are being hosted in buildings that are connected to the jobs and internships that are being presented, hence this months’ being held in Nobel. 

This is the first year that these specific events are being held here at Gustavus, however similar events have been held in the past. In the past, students had to be dressed in business clothes, as it was much more formal. Now that the event is happening during the school day between classes, students are allowed to wear whatever they want and are comfortable in for their classes. 

The purpose of this event “… is to connect students (and faculty) with employers (and alumni) to enhance access to opportunities,” Event support coordinator, Jill VanOsdol said. It is an opportunity for students to put themselves out there and in front of employers. This event allows students to give first impressions before actually going out for these jobs and internships. 

The Internship Fair happens four times a year, twice a semester. It is every other month (September and November for Fall Semester one and January and March for Spring Semester). The first event was held in Beck, the next two will be held on January 22nd in the STEAMery and on March 26th in the Anderson Atrium. 

There will be “awesome employers” who are “actively looking for interns and job openings” Rudolf said. There will also be refreshments and a chance to enter a raffle for a prize during the event. Some of the confirmed employers are “Mayo Clinic, Ecumen, Harry Meyering Center, Fernbrook Family Center, Federated Insurance, Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, and Conservation Corps of MN and Iowa,” VanOsdol said. “Mayo needs administration and finance people. These companies recruit for a lot of different areas, such as communications and marketing,” Rudolf said. There are possibly going to be more employers there as well. 

The first fair in September had a good turnout; “Over 100 coming directly from class,” Rudolf said. The companies “loved having students right there as it allowed better access and a better turnout,” Rudolf noted, as years previously had less turnout and students had to go out of their way to get to these jobs. There will still be the occasional job tabling outside of the cafeteria, but having these events increases engagement. 

Rudolfs’ job is to help coordinate the employers coming, arranging and coordinating the event in order to help make it a success. VanOsdols’ job is to support those who are hosting and putting on the event. However “Emilie Moeller, Janeen Swenson, and Julie Rudolf get the credit for the idea and pulling it all together,” VanOsdol said in regard to those who planned this event. 

These events are “really to get students in front of employers. There is a better success rate, which helps students get used to giving a personal pitch. Benefits both the students and the employers,” Rudolf noted as to how these events are helpful for both students and employers. It allows them to interact without the pressure of an interview and a professional setting. It gives a basic setting for students to dip their toes into areas of employment that they may be interested in. 

There are many benefits to internships such as “gaining career related experience, helping build a professional network, learning from others to gain and develop skills, and more,” VanOsdol said. Internships are an opportunity for students to start figuring out what their future in a certain field may be like. Many students will have at least one internship during their college years, so get out there and find what interests you!