On Tuesday, Feb. 21 and Wednesday, Feb. 22, over 130 Gustavus students will gather at the Minneapolis Convention Center, where they will interface with potential employers at the annual Minnesota’s Private Colleges Job and Internship Fair.

On Wednesday evening, Gustavus students registered for the fair assembled in Alumni Hall for an orientation event designed to improve their interview skills ahead of meeting with representatives from hiring companies.

For over thirty years, Minnesota’s Private Colleges Job and Internship Fair has been connecting graduating seniors with entry-level employment opportunities, in addition to matching many juniors and sophomores with valuable summer internships. Though the fair is only a two-day event, it has been on the minds of many attendees since early January.

The event’s registration deadline was Jan. 31, 2012, and registrants have been receiving a myriad of advice from the Center for Servant Leadership (CSL) via email since that time. Preparations for the fair culminated in Wednesday night’s meeting, where 22 Gustavus alumni were on hand to give advice and provide the opportunity for students to participate in a series of mock interviews.

“I have gotten a lot of advice on how to do an interview and how to do a follow-up. It’s been eye-opening—definitely a lot of things I’d never thought about,” Junior Derek Evenson said.

For some students, however, the amount of prep related emails being sent out borders on overload.

“I have received a plethora of emails. It makes it a little hard to sift through the information—there’s about seven a day. There’s useful information, you just have to dig for it,” Senior Annie Jackson said.

The distinct amount of prep that students have put into the event stems from the fact that this is no average job fair. Rather than simply showing up and taking part, participating students have applied ahead of time for the chance to meet with representatives from the companies and organizations of their choosing. The first day of the fair will revolve around these pre-scheduled meetings, while day two will consist of actual job interviews for students that made big impressions on the first day.

“I have a few interviews already set-up. It feels so good knowing I’ll have something to look forward to instead of just wandering around,” Evenson said.

The companies that will be on hand at the fair range from small financial companies, all the way to Fortune 500 powerhouses such as Target and General Mills. Internship Program Director Vince Thomas stressed the significance of the opportunity students have in being able to meet one-on-one with representatives from hiring firms. Thomas pointed out that even in a digital era, face-to-face interviews remain an important part of the hiring process, as do the skills needed to make a good impression.

“I think Gustavus students benefit greatly from the fair. At the end of the day, it’s still a human process,” Thomas said.  “From what I’ve seen of Gusties, I think our students will do particularly well in person.”

While optimistic about the prospects of participating students, Cynthia Favre, director of career development in the CSL, pointed to the learning experience that every student involved can take away from the event.

“It’s extremely educational—you find out what they’re looking for. Students aren’t always sure which events matter. I would say that this is an event that matters,” Favre said.

A total of over 1800 private college students from around the state will take part in the fair that runs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21 and Wednesday, Feb. 22.