By Audrey Elwood, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Xavier’s annual fall career fair was held Wednesday, Sept. 11 in Cintas Center, hosting 120 institutions, including non-profits, businesses and graduate schools.  

Ranging from Portland to Cincinnati, there was a diversity of different graduate school programs offering information with Xavier’s own graduate school in attendance.

Nonprofits lined the halls leading up to the banquet room, with many charities such as Cincinnati Behavioral Health Sciences and AmeriCorp. Multiple military branches and the Ohio National Guard were present. Federal agencies, such as the FBI, the Federal Reserve and Foreign Service were also in attendance.  

Within the banquet room there were a variety of businesses featured. While there were many corporations hiring for full-time jobs, there was a mix of internships offered as well. 

“I found it really helpful to connect with businesses that range in size. It allowed me to make more personal connections with representatives from smaller companies and still explore what the larger ones had to offer,” senior economics and Spanish major Manny Lugo said.

Industries ranged in attendance. Many logistics and transportation businesses were represented, such as DHL (the largest international shipper in the world) in addition to the local Total Quality Logistics. There was also a large contingent of sports-related firms such as FC Cincinnati. Many of the booths targeted business majors or technical sciences majors.  

 “I liked the diversity in companies available. I was able to look into fields I didn’t even think I wanted to enter and found they had just as much to offer,” Lugo said. 

There was representation in the health sector as well. For those interested in businesses with prominent health programs, there is a fair Wednesday, Oct. 9 in the Health United Building specifically geared towards nursing majors.  

Some of the busiest booths were the ones tabled by firms headquartered in Cincinnati. These included Proctor & Gamble, a manufacturer of home goods, Fidelity, one of the major investment groups and Cintas, the namesake of Cintas Center, was present and advertised internship opportunities as well.  

During the event, the Career Center provided students with resume help, mock interviews and answers to general questions about job applications. Leading up to the career fair, they increased their services, including extra “drop-in” hours.  

At the career fair candidate prep area, the Career Center helped students navigate the booths, offering advice on which booths to go to and helping them master the 30-second-pitch. 

“I was able to go to a lot of tables relating to my major, and they told me a lot of information I don’t think I would have received if I hadn’t gone,” sophomore math and economics major Andrew Schmidt said. “I made connections that will benefit me in my future career and learned a lot about the industry I want to go into.”