Smith Undergrad Career Fair a Slam-Dunk

Friday, Sept. 19, 2014, was a record-setting day for the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. In fact, it was a slam-dunk for students and employers, alike. More than 100 employers connected with 1,000+ students at the sold-out Smith Undergraduate Career Fair.

The annual career fair is sponsored by Smith’s Office of Career Services (OCS) and was held at the university’s Xfinity Center (formerly Comcast Center) this year to accommodate the increasing demand from employers. In previous years at the Riggs Alumni Center, there was space for only 80 employers. The larger exhibition space, which was set out over the basketball court, was the perfect setting for the high-energy event.

“We have great employers recruiting our talented Smith students. That’s no secret,” says Jeff Kudisch, assistant dean of corporate relations and managing director of the Office of Career Services. “But ‘selling out’ the Xfinity Center with 112 companies and 1075 students in attendance made my team and me feel extra proud. Many thanks to all who helped make the event such a tremendous success, including all our alumni who joined us back ‘under the shell’ to recruit their fellow Terps.”

OCS hosted the Third Annual Employer Forum the evening before the career fair. This year’s forum gave recruiters the opportunity to brainstorm the skills needed to achieve workplace success in 2019. The engaging, interactive session allowed recruiters to connect with each other, Smith School faculty, and staff before the whirlwind of the career fair the following day. The closing session, “Tips for Attracting Top Terps,” gave employers the chance to hear from a talented panel of undergraduate, MS and MBA students who shared insights regarding recruitment and on-campus branding.

“Our employer partners loved the new venue at Xfinity Center and were extremely positive about the preparation and professionalism of our Smith undergrads,” said Ashlee Kerkhoff, director of undergraduate student programming in OCS. “It was great to see such high energy and excitement from our students, employers and staff, and I know this is just the start of a very successful recruiting season.”

Feedback from Employers

Erin Bethke, Campus Recruitment, Bloomberg LP:

“I wanted to thank you again for the effort and hard work you put in to make last weeks’ events successful! I really had a great two days at the university and was thoroughly impressed with not only the students but also the career center! It was evident that the career center is focused on developing students and engaging employers. I can say with great confidence that the career fair did not disappoint as we met with a wide array of intelligent and engaging students. We were also pleased to see how excited students are about Bloomberg!”

Patrick L. Wills, Territory Manager – Maryland/D.C., Techtronic Industries NA, Inc:

“I wanted to thank you again for an AWESOME few days on campus. The Business Forum was first class and the Career Fair exceeded above and beyond our expectations.”

Feedback from Students

Jessica Ma, Accounting and Information Systems, Class of 2016

“The Smith Undergraduate Career Fair this year was top-notch and provided me the opportunity to explore opportunities with dozens of companies I had previously not seen recruiting at Smith before. It was lively and felt very spacious. It definitely helped enhance my conversations with employers!”

Harrison Hoffman, Supply Chain Management, Class of 2016

“The Smith Undergraduate Career Fair provides a platform for the perfect networking opportunity for both students and employers. Attending the fair was pivotal in securing the opportunity to interview with several employers I am interested in.”

Thank You, Employers!

For more information about recruiting at Smith, visit www.rhsmith.umd.edu/career.

Photo highlights on Facebook.

- Alissa Arford, Office of Marketing Communications