Turned tables: Student organizations network with employers at reverse career fair

At a typical career fair, you’ll find prospective employees nervously lined up at various booths in their best business attire, resumes in hand, to meet with employers. On Tuesday, Sept. 24 and Wednesday, Sept. 25, Arizona State University’s Career Services flipped the script on those traditional career fairs and gave ASU student organizations and clubs the exclusive opportunity to table while potential employers visited and mingled in the Tempe Student Pavilion.

Dhanica Nobleza, ASU student and president of the Asian/Asian Pacific American Students' Coalition, explained how the Reverse Career Fair let Sun Devils showcase themselves and their organizations using table displays, all while accessing and networking with real-world employers.

“Instead of us going to employers, employers are coming up to us to learn about our organization,” she said. “I think this is a very good opportunity for people who have leadership positions here at ASU, so that they can let employers know, hey, this is what I'm doing as well, other than academics and going to classes.”

The event focused on creating equity and access for students across all of the eight student coalitions and in partnership with multiple ASU departments, colleges and faculty, engaging Sun Devils who would otherwise not have this direct connection to employers. Drawing in almost 100 student organizations and close to 150 employers over the two day period, Isaac Amaya Aguirre, ASU student and president of the campus’ Association of Latino Professionals for America, called the event a game-changer.

“Attending the reverse career fair was an incredible experience,” he said. “We had the unique opportunity to engage with employers in a more personal setting, where we could truly showcase our club and our culture. The event was extremely well-organized and I appreciated how much effort was put into creating an environment where meaningful conversations could happen.”

“It was a game-changer for building our network and exploring potential career paths,” he added. “We are so grateful for this opportunity and would highly recommend this event to any student organization looking to take their network to the next level and promote their club!”

The event wasn’t only a benefit for the students — employers from Fairlife, Starlight Homes, Boys and Girls Club of America and more enjoyed the opportunity to visit campus and meet prospective employees firsthand. And for many of those employers, it was a return back to their alma mater.

“I'm an ASU alumni myself, so I've been coming here for over five years to recruit students,” Demetrius Bonner said, talent acquisition specialist for Array Technologies. “I was a student here, so I know how well ASU is preparing their students for the workforce. Career Services has a ton of resources that students can use to help them strengthen their skills.”

Sharing in his sentiment, Heather Beasley, talent acquisition specialist for Barton Associates, said that her company has looked to ASU for hiring talent since opening their doors in Tempe in 2018.

“We have lots of ASU alumni in the office, so it's definitely a priority to be here,” Beasley said. “I'm an alum of ASU, and I definitely felt very prepared post-graduation, joining the workforce. I can see in the students that are here, they're very well prepared.”

Students interested in attending future career fairs can visit the website to learn more about Career Services resources or by following the department’s social media accounts.