Hundreds of Humber College students had an opportunity to connect with scores of potential employers when the Longo Faculty of Business’ Work-Integrated Learning Centre held its annual Career Fair in November.

The two-day fair at the Learning Resource Commons building at North Campus drew nearly 800 students who had the opportunity to speak with the 125 representatives from more than 50 different companies and businesses taking part.

Antoniette Di Marco, manager, Work-Integrated Learning Centre with the Longo Faculty of Business, indicated that while the event targeted students seeking roles in the hospitality and tourism industry, students from a variety of programs attended and benefited from the experience.

“The event was very successful for networking and securing work-integrated learning opportunities for the students,” said Di Marco. “Both our students and employer partners were happy to be on campus. It was a high-energy, highly interactive and productive event where employers were on the lookout for new talent.”  

Speaking to the power of Humber’s work-integrated learning opportunities, 45 students from the Event Management program helped host the career fair and served as student ambassadors.

Event Management student Ranie Choy said one of the reasons she attended Humber was the work-integrated learning opportunities. Choy felt the Career Fair provided important benefits for students.

“Career fairs bring employers together in the same space, creating a lot of opportunities for networking in a short time,” said Choy. “Beyond job opportunities, you can learn from each employer conversation and the valuable advice they offer. The atmosphere in a career fair welcomes more conversation and makes it easier to network.”

 
Just a few of the businesses to attend the Career Fair included Eataly, The Boulevard Club, Longo’s and Red Lobster. The representatives from Eataly noted that a former Humber intern started with the company as a pasta maker before advancing through the internship program to become a full-time employee. They said the company values Humber students as they arrive with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver high-quality work.

Di Marco said the fair helped students in a variety of ways. It allowed them to network with dozens of potential employers and tap into the hidden job market as she noted 80 per cent of jobs are not posted.   

The students got to speak one-on-one with multiple companies and ask any questions they may have – including about a particular job they’re interested in, the hiring process or company culture. The students also practiced their interpersonal skills while talking about their programs and skills with prospective employers.

The companies that attended had access to a group of qualified students who were eager to work and had the current skills needed in the industry. It also allowed the businesses to meet and speak with possible candidates in person while highlighting their brand and connecting with their recruitment peers.

Visit the Longo Faculty of Business’ Work-Integrated Learning website for more information.