More live and virtual career fairs

COVID-19 notice:

• In accordance with the Virginia Tech COVID-19 information for the university community, Virginia Tech-sponsored in-person events are being cancelled.
• Most of the 2019-2020 in-person VT-affiliated career fairs were held prior to cancellation decisions.
• For fairs with future dates, please contact the event sponsor with questions.
• Now, more than ever, is the time to take advantage of virtual career fairs!

VT-affiliated career fairs

Fall semester fairs list & spring semester fairs list are compiled by Career and Professional Development (CPD) to help students and employers. Note: CPD does NOT sponsor or control most of these fairs! See each event website for details.

Teaching & education job fairs

2019-2020 academic year dates.
These are fairs on college campuses, or are multi-school system fairs. To learn about opportunities in specific counties or cities, visit that county or city school system website.

Listed alphabetically by sponsor. Details subject to change by sponsor; for complete info and questions: Visit event website and contact the sponsor.

• American Association for Employment in Education (AAEE)  Education Job Fair
  Thursday, October 24, 2019
  Norfolk, VA
• Ask sponsor if this event is cancelled or not: George Mason Univ. Education Recruitment Day
  Wednesday, March 18, 2020
• Radford Univ. Education Career Fair
  Friday, February 21, 2020
• Shenandoah Valley Teacher Recruitment Fair
  Saturday, February 15, 2020
• Cancelled: Southern Teachers Agency Job Fair
  Saturday, March 28, 2020, Charlottesville, VA
• Univ. of Virginia Educators' Expo
  Friday, February 14, 2020
• Ask sponsor if this event is cancelled or not: Virginia State Univ. College of Education Career Expo
  Thursday, March 19, 2020
• Western Virginia Public Education Consortium Teacher Recruitment Job Fair, Salem
  Saturday, January 25, 2020

Virtual career fairs

The virtual fairs focus on particular career fields or populations.
Many employers have excellent opportunities, but cannot travel to every campus to attend in-person fairs. Virtual fairs open a world of opportunity to students to connect with more employers. Take advantage!

Contacts for employers with questions about a fair

• Each fair name in the VT fairs list above is linked to its website, and the sponsoring organization is listed. Go to the event website to find complete details and contact information.
• Career and Professional Development has no control or authority over fairs that are sponsored by another department, or college, or student organization.

Which VT fairs should employers attend?

• Employers are encouraged to visit the websites of all fairs of interest, and to speak with the sponsors of those fairs.
• If you need advice about which VT fair(s) to attend, the employer relations staff in Career & Professional Development are here to advise and assist you. We know your time is valuable, and that you incur expenses to travel to campus. There are many VT-affiliated fairs, and deciding which ones to attend can be confusing. We want to assist you in selecting events that will work best for your recruiting goals!

Which VT fairs should students attend? There is no short-cut answer!

• At each fair, a wide variety of employers may attend, and each employer specifies their own hiring needs for majors, academic levels, and types of hires including internships, co-ops, and post-grad jobs.
• Some employers seek very specific majors, and some employers seek a wide variety of majors, both in and outside the sponsoring college or department.
• The employment world is not organized like universities, by majors and colleges, and many employers seek professional qualities and personal characteristics that are not exclusive to a specific major.
• Investigate the website for each fair to learn which employers are attending, their hiring needs, and other tips, such as attire, when to arrive, and other features of that particular fair.
• Be aware that the specific individuals representing an employer at a fair might not know about all the hiring needs of the whole organization, especially if the reps are not from their HR department!
• The best way to have success at a fair is to do two things:
  • First, plan in advance which employers to approach 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, arrive with willingness to be flexible and adaptable in speaking with employers. Be ready for the unexpected, and be personable, friendly, and a good listener.
• Unsure if you are ready to attend a fair? Then be a volunteer. That gives you a reason and purpose to be there, and structure on how to interact (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 go as a job-seeker. To find out about volunteering, look at each fair website, and/or contact the sponsor, and watch for publicity seeking volunteers.
• More on how to prepare for a career fair.