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Virginia Tech career fairs

for students and employers

As a service to students and employers, Career and Professional Development (CPD) has assembled lists of Virginia Tech career fairs. Please note CPD does not host most of the fairs.

Questions answered for STUDENTS and EMPLOYERS

How many career fairs are held through Virginia Tech?

Who hosts the career fairs?

  • The host for each fair is shown on the fair lists for fall and spring semesters.
  • Most fairs are hosted by an academic department, school, or college, and are intended to serve their students and related industries.
  • Career and Professional Development (CPD) hosts fairs open to employers who recruit students from any major.
  • Chapters of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association (National Capital Region and Richmond) have hosted fairs for employers in their geographic regions.

What if there is not a career fair for my college or major?

  • Career and Professional Development (CPD) hosts fairs open to employers who recruit students from any major.
    This helps employers whose hiring needs are not limited to one college or major.
    You can research the employers attending to see if any match your interests.
  • The employment world is not organized by academic major.
    Think in terms of the job function and types of employers you are seeking.
    Look at each career fair and research employers attending to determine if any match your career goals and qualifications.
  • Some departments and colleges host other types of career events for students.
    Career fairs are not the only events that help you network and meet employers.
    Read the websites of your major department and your college; read emails and other communication from them. Keep yourself informed.
  • Expand your opportunities.
    Not all employers attend Virginia Tech career fairs.
    Virtual fairs give you access to more employers.
    See CareerEco virtual fairs, which have been held for many years prior to the pandemic; some focus on career fields, industries, or job-seeker populations.
  • Some Virginia Tech fairs are hosted by career-related student organizations.
    Consider if your student organization would want to take on the responsibility of hosting a small career fair or networking event.
    Consult your academic department for advice and guidance.
  • Not all employers need to attend career fairs to fill their internship and job openings.
    Think about the time, effort, and expense for an organization to attend even one fair, and to attend fairs at multiple universities.
    Many kinds of employers do not find that necessary or cost-effective to do their recruiting and hiring.
    Become familiar with the hiring practices in your career field and/or industry.

Which career fairs should students attend?

  • At each fair, a wide variety of employers might participate, and each employer specifies their own hiring needs for majors, academic levels, and types of hires including internships, co-ops, and post-grad jobs.
  • Your decision should hinge on researching each EMPLOYER attending a fair. Avoid making your decision on the name of the fair alone.
  • If even one employer is a match for your qualifications and interests, go to speak to that employer!
  • Do not take an employer's presence on campus for granted. Those employers are spending time and money to travel to campus to talk with students.
  • The employment world is not organized by majors and colleges. Some employers seek professional qualities and personal characteristics that are not exclusive to any major. Some employers seek applicants from specific majors. Some employers seek applicants in a variety of majors and colleges.
  • Be aware: employer reps at a fair might not know all the hiring needs of the organization, especially if the reps are not from their human resources department.
  • Unsure if you are ready to participate in a fair? Try volunteering. Being a volunteer gives you a reason and purpose to participate in a fair, and structure on how to interact. For an in-person fair, that could involve helping employers carry supplies, delivering water, etc. That will help you see the event from a different viewpoint, and demystify the event, helping you when you are ready to participate as a job-seeker. To find out about volunteering, look at each fair webpage, and/or contact the sponsor, and watch for publicity seeking student volunteers.

I'm a student. How can I be successful at a career fair?

  • The best way to have success at a fair is to do two things:
    • First, plan in advance which employers to connect with based on your research, and have a customized introduction.
      Example: I’m interested in your organization because of the opportunity to work in a project team….”
      Never ask, “what does your company do?”
    • Second, participate with willingness to be flexible and adaptable in connecting with employers. Be ready for the unexpected, and be personable, friendly, and a good listener.
  • More on how to prepare for a career fair, including dress codes, bringing copies of your resume, and what to expect.
  • You are always welcome to seek advising when you are thinking about whether to attend a career fair. We encourage you to plan in advance. Demand for advising is higher when career fair dates are approaching.

For employers: Which Virginia Tech career fairs should our organization attend?

  • For advice on which Virginia Tech fair(s) can best serve your recruiting needs, please contact our employer relations staff in Career and Professional Development. We are here to advise and assist you.
  • We know your time is valuable, and that you incur expenses to participate in fairs. With so many Virginia Tech fairs, we understand that choosing among them can be confusing. We want to assist you in selecting events that will work best for your recruiting goals!

For employers with operational questions about a specific career fair:

  • There is a contact person for each fair. The fair lists include links to the fair webpage maintained by the host, where they should provide details for both employers and students, along with contact information. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the contact person if you need specific details about attending their fair.

For employers: How to be successful at a fair:


Fall semester Virginia Tech career fairs

Most fall 2024 career fair dates are TBA. We'll post fall 2024 dates as we learn them from each host.

  • For complete information on each fair, including location, registration, guidelines on who may attend, and contact for questions, see the event webpage or contact host.
  • Career and Professional Development does not control fairs and webpages hosted by academic colleges and departments or other organizations; event details could be posted or change without our knowledge. We are happy to help students and employers choose fairs and prepare!
  • Employers: Please contact CPD employer relations staff for advice on which fair(s) meet your needs.
Fair / webpage link if available Host Date(s)
Business Horizons Fall Career Fair Pamplin College of Business TBA fall 2024.
(last year: Wed.-Th. Sep. 6-7, 2023)
Computer Science CS|Source Fall Career Fair Department of Computer Science TBA fall 2024.
(last year: Mon. Sep. 11, 2023)
Engineering Expo Student organization: Student Engineers Council TBA fall 2024.
(last year: Tu., Wed., Th. Sep. 12, 13, 14, 2023)
Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics (BEAM) Career Fair Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics TBA fall 2024.
(last year: Mon. Sep. 18, 2023)
Aerospace, Defense, and Intelligence Career Fair Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering and the Hume Center TBA fall 2024.
(last year: Tu. Sep. 19, 2023)
REAL Fall Career Event Department of Real Estate TBA fall 2024.
(last year: Wed. Sep. 20, 2023)
Civil Engineering Fall Career Fair Department of Civil Engineering TBA fall 2024.
(last year: Mon. Sep. 25, 2023)
Natural Resources and Environment Fall Career Fair College of Natural Resources and Environment TBA fall 2024.
(last year: Wed. Sep. 27, 2023)
Mining and Minerals Engineering Fall Career Fair Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering TBA fall 2024.
(last year: Wed. Sep. 27, 2023)
CareerScope Hospitality Management Career Fair: www.vthma.com/careerscope |
Hospitality and Tourism Managment (HTM) Department Careers page |
HTM Dept. CareerScope page
Student organization:
Virginia Tech Hospitality Management Association: www.vthma.com
TBA fall 2024.
(last year: Th. Sep. 28, 2023)
Roanoke Region Intern and Early Career Talent Expo Virginia Tech Center for Economic Engagement (Event partner with other organizations and institutions) TBA fall 2024.
(last year: Wed. Oct. 4, 2023)
Fall Connection Virtual fair: open to employers recruiting for all career fields Career and Professional Development TBA fall 2024.
(last year: Wed. Oct. 11, 2023)
Myers-Lawson School of Construction Fall Career Fair Myers-Lawson School of Construction TBA fall 2024.
(last year: Tu. Oct. 17, 2023)
RVA Fall Career Expo Richmond Chapter of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association TBA fall 2024.
(last year: Fr. Oct. 20, 2023)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Fall Career Fair College of Agriculture and Life Sciences TBA fall 2024.
(last year: Mon. Oct. 23, 2023)

Spring semester Virginia Tech career fairs

  • For complete information on each fair, including location, registration, guidelines on who may attend, and contact for questions, see the event webpage or contact host.
  • Career and Professional Development does not control fairs and webpages hosted by academic colleges and departments or other organizations; event details could be posted or change without our knowledge. We are happy to help students and employers choose fairs and prepare!
  • Employers: Please contact CPD employer relations staff for advice on which fair(s) meet your needs.
Fair / webpage link if available Host(s) Date(s)
Business Horizons Spring Career Fair Pamplin College of Business Th. Feb. 1, 2024
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Spring Career Fair College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Wed. Feb. 7, 2024
CS Source Computer Science Department Mon. Feb. 12, 2024
CoStar REAL Spring Career Event Blackwood Department of Real Estate, and
Property Management Program
Tu. Feb. 13, 2024
Connection Spring Job Fair IN PERSON: all career fields Career and Professional Development Wed. Feb 14, 2024
CAMEO Career Fest Student organization, CAMEO (Council for Advancement of Minority Engineering Organizations)
Faculty advisor: Ms. Taylor Cupp
Mon. Feb. 19, 2024
Civil Engineering Spring Career Fair Civil Engineering Department CHANGED to Tu. Feb. 20, 2024 (instead of Th. Feb. 22, 2024)
Connection Spring Job Fair VIRTUAL: all career fields Career and Professional Development Tu. Feb. 20, 2024
College of Natural Resources and Environment (CNRE) Spring Career Fair and HokiePack Job Fair College of Natural Resources and Environment (CNRE), and
Department of Sustainable Biomaterials
Wed. Feb. 21, 2024
Construction Industry Spring Career Fair Myers-Lawson School of Construction Wed. Feb. 21, 2024
Materials Science and Engineering Spring Career Fair Materials Science and Engineering Department Wed. Feb. 21, 2024
Destinations in Hospitality & Tourism Management Hospitality & Tourism Management Department Th. Feb. 22, 2024
School of Architecture and School of Design Career Day School of Architecture, and
School of Design
Mon. Feb. 26, 2024
SEC-ACC Virtual Career Fair: All majors & degree levels CareerEco is the host and contact for employers.
Career and Professional Development is the contact office for Virginia Tech students.
Wed. April 10, 2024

FOR EMPLOYERS:

FOR STUDENTS:

EXPAND YOUR OPPORTUNITIES:

Not all employers attend Virginia Tech career fairs. Virtual fairs give you access to more employers.