Starting Early: Why the Fall Career Fair Is for First-Year Students, Too!
August 24, 2026
The first year of college is filled with new experiences, new classes, friends, routines, and plenty of opportunities to begin thinking about what comes next. While graduation and a full-time job may seem far away, career development starts long before senior year. One easy way for first-year students to begin exploring their future is by attending Fisher’s Fall Career Fair taking place on September 24 from 12:30–2:30 p.m.
“But I’m a First-Year Student, Why Would I Go to a Career Fair?” We hear this question often! Career fairs aren't just for returning students looking for internships and jobs. For first-year students, the goal is much simpler: explore, observe, ask questions, and get comfortable. Attending the Career Fair gives first-year students an opportunity to:
Explore career possibilities. Students can learn about organizations and industries they may never have considered—or even known existed.
Connect majors to careers. Talking with employers can help students see the many different ways their interests, skills, and academic programs translate into the workplace.
Learn what employers value. Students can ask employers what skills, experiences, campus involvement, and coursework they look for when recruiting future interns and employees.
Practice networking in a low-pressure environment. Introducing yourself to an employer can feel intimidating the first time. The more students practice, the easier it becomes.
Start building professional connections. The recruiter a student meets as a first-year student could be someone they reconnect with when they’re ready to pursue an internship a year or two from now.
See how a career fair works. Simply walking through the fair, observing conversations, and talking with a few employers makes the next career fair much less intimidating.
Get a professional headshot. Students can get a free LinkedIn headshot through our PopCam station, and if they do not yet have a LinkedIn, this is a great time to get it started.
One question students often have before a career event or interview is, “What am I supposed to wear?” Professional clothing can also be an unexpected expense for college students. That’s why Career Services is excited to introduce our new Career Closet, designed to help students access professional clothing for career fairs, interviews, networking events, internships, presentations, and other professional opportunities.
Students schedule a time in Handshake and visit the Career Closet to find professional attire and build a career-ready wardrobe without the added expense of purchasing everything themselves. It’s one more way Career Services is working to remove barriers and help students feel prepared and confident when opportunities arise.
Encourage your student to stop by the Career Fair, even if they tell you, “I’m only a first-year student” or “I’m not looking for a job yet.” Remind them that they don't need to leave with a job or internship for the experience to be worthwhile. A successful first Career Fair might simply mean talking to two employers, discovering a career they hadn’t considered, learning about an organization, or becoming a little more comfortable introducing themselves professionally. Those small experiences add up.
Career Services is here to support students throughout their Fisher experience, from exploring possibilities and developing a résumé to finding internships, preparing for interviews, building a professional network, and eventually launching their careers.
We encourage students to start early and visit often. The Career Fair on September 24 is a great opportunity to begin!
Starting Early: Why the Fall Career Fair Is for First-Year Students, Too!2026-08-24T16:39:05-04:00The first year of college is filled with new experiences, new classes, friends, routines, and plenty of opportunities to begin thinking about what comes next. While graduation and a full-time job may seem far away, career development starts long before senior year. One easy way for first-year students to begin exploring their future is by attending Fisher’s Fall Career Fair taking place on September 24 from 12:30–2:30 p.m.“But I’m a First-Year Student, Why Would I Go to a Career Fair?” We hear this question often! Career fairs aren't just for returning students looking for internships and jobs. For first-year students, the goal is much simpler: explore, observe, ask questions, and get comfortable. Attending the Career Fair gives first-year students an opportunity to:
Explore career possibilities. Students can learn about organizations and industries they may never have considered—or even known existed.
Connect majors to careers. Talking with employers can help students see the many different ways their interests, skills, and academic programs translate into the workplace.
Learn what employers value. Students can ask employers what skills, experiences, campus involvement, and coursework they look for when recruiting future interns and employees.
Practice networking in a low-pressure environment. Introducing yourself to an employer can feel intimidating the first time. The more students practice, the easier it becomes.
Start building professional connections. The recruiter a student meets as a first-year student could be someone they reconnect with when they’re ready to pursue an internship a year or two from now.
See how a career fair works. Simply walking through the fair, observing conversations, and talking with a few employers makes the next career fair much less intimidating.
Get a professional headshot. Students can get a free LinkedIn headshot through our PopCam station, and if they do not yet have a LinkedIn, this is a great time to get it started.
One question students often have before a career event or interview is, “What am I supposed to wear?” Professional clothing can also be an unexpected expense for college students. That’s why Career Services is excited to introduce our new Career Closet, designed to help students access professional clothing for career fairs, interviews, networking events, internships, presentations, and other professional opportunities.
Students schedule a time in Handshake and visit the Career Closet to find professional attire and build a career-ready wardrobe without the added expense of purchasing everything themselves. It’s one more way Career Services is working to remove barriers and help students feel prepared and confident when opportunities arise.
Encourage your student to stop by the Career Fair, even if they tell you, “I’m only a first-year student” or “I’m not looking for a job yet.” Remind them that they don't need to leave with a job or internship for the experience to be worthwhile. A successful first Career Fair might simply mean talking to two employers, discovering a career they hadn’t considered, learning about an organization, or becoming a little more comfortable introducing themselves professionally. Those small experiences add up.
Career Services is here to support students throughout their Fisher experience, from exploring possibilities and developing a résumé to finding internships, preparing for interviews, building a professional network, and eventually launching their careers.
We encourage students to start early and visit often. The Career Fair on September 24 is a great opportunity to begin!/media/news-images/summer-2025/august/career-fair-2024-960.jpg
