What to do Prior to the Engineering Career Fairs
Students often decide which employers to speak with at the fair based on the information found in CyHire. Posting one or more appealing position descriptions in CyHire will result in more visits by candidates who are specifically interested in working for your organization. Also, ensure that your organization’s CyHire profile information is complete and current so students will quickly find the information you want them to see.
Info sessions are a great way to increase name recognition on campus and get more students interested in working for your organization. To learn more and get started scheduling an info session, visit: https://www.engineering.iastate.edu/ecs/employers/information-sessions/.
Each representative participating in the in-person or virtual career fairs needs to be added to the registration form to ensure they receive important information, have access to the career fair system (virtual fairs), and have a name tag (in-person fairs). The registering contact can enter this information while registering, or update it after the initial registration. Please limit to a maximum of 5 representatives per booth for in-person fairs. There is no limit to the number of representatives for virtual fairs.
Iowa State University is committed to equal employment opportunity and to assuring that its programs are free from prohibited discrimination and harassment. Additionally, employers should give a 3-week offer window to allow students an opportunity to participate in as much of the full recruiting season as possible before making an employment commitment. This will also reduce the likelihood of a student accepting and then reneging on an offer.
Please review all recruiting policies here: https://www.engineering.iastate.edu/ecs/policies/.
Please note, all career fair participants and attendees will be expected to follow all Iowa State University policies and regulations, including but not limited to any pandemic mitigation efforts in place at the time of the fair.
Employers participating in virtual fairs will have access to view the resumes of students who have RSVP’d for the virtual fair one week prior to the fair. It is encouraged to review resumes and reach out to students ahead of time to invite them to join your queue during the fair.
In-Person Career Fair Information
Tuesday, February 7, 2023, 12 PM – 5 PM
Scheman Building and Hilton Coliseum
| 9:00 am – 11:00 am | Arrival and Set-Up |
| 11:00 am – 12:30 pm | Lunch |
| 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm | Career Fair Open to Students |
| 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm | Tear-Down and Employer Reception |
| After the career fairs, employer representatives are invited to a reception for appetizers and beverages. |
Note: Registering for the Career Fair does not register your company for the next day Mass Interviewing event. If you would like an interview space, please visit the interviewing section on our website to learn more and register!
Booth Information:
Each 8′ wide x 8′ deep booth ($950/booth) comes with a 6′ draped table, two chairs, and two electrical outlets are provided with each registration. Please bring power strips if additional outlets are needed. Employers may bring up to five representatives per booth. You may register for additional booths pending availability.
Is this your first time attending and unsure what to bring?
Many employers bring branded items for their booth including a tablecloth with a logo or company name, pop-up banners/back drops, and swag giveaway items. Employers are welcome to bring any promotional or technical material that fits within the 8’ x 8’ booth. For specific questions or requests, please email our team at ecs@iastate.edu
Arrival and Check-In Information:
When you arrive at the career fair, you will check-in at the location indicated below and get your materials. Please be prepared to give the check-in staff a business card for all attendees.
Specific booth numbers will be emailed to the contact who registered approximately 2-3 weeks before the fair.
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- Scheman: All employers with a booth in Scheman will check in with ECS Staff on the ground floor of the Scheman Building.
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- Hilton: All employers with a booth in Hilton will check in with ECS Staff at the Employer Check-In table on the inner concourse of Hilton Coliseum (on the west side, inner concourse overlooking Hilton Floor. Follow signage).
Supplies/Materials Drop off:
A limited number of ambassadors will be available to help you unload your materials from your vehicle if needed. Follow parking lot signage to drop-off locations. Employers with a booth in Hilton should drop off materials at the loading ramp on the east side of the building. Employers with a booth in Scheman should drop off materials at the north main doors of the Scheman Building.
Booth Maps:
View booth maps here.
Parking:
Free parking is available on the north side of the Scheman Building and Hilton Coliseum in lots B1 and C1, overflow parking is available in B2 and C2. Click here to view the map.
Please send your items to the building where your booth is located (Hilton Coliseum or the Scheman Building) using the address below and have your company name (as it is listed on the career fair registration) clearly indicated on your materials. Staff will have your items at your booth the morning of the fair.
- If your shipping information requires the listing of a contact person, please use:
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- Scheman Building: Grant Luther, 515-294-8117
- Hilton Coliseum: Matt McLeod, 515-509-1654
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- Your items will be delivered to your assigned booth on the day of the event. Please be sure all items are clearly labeled with your company name as it is listed on the career fair registration.
Iowa State University
Scheman Building
1805 Center Drive
Ames, IA 50011
Attn: [Company Name] Booth #___ (<– Please use the company name listed on the career fair registration)
Hold for [DATE] Engineering Career Fair
Iowa State University
Hilton Coliseum
1705 Center Drive
Ames, IA 50011
Attn: [Company Name], Booth #___ (<– Please use the company name listed on the career fair registration)
Hold for [DATE] Engineering Career Fair
If you will be shipping items after the fair, please have all items completely packed, labeled, and taped at your booth. (Event staff will move your items to the shipping dock for you.)
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- Place your pre-printed return shipping labels on your packages. Return labels will NOT be available on the day of the fair.
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- Schedule a package pick-up from UPS or FedEx using the address of the building where your booth is located. Packages may be picked up during business hours (8a-5p). Please do not schedule a pick-up for the same day as the career fair as your items will still be in use.
- Please note: If you do not schedule a package pickup, even if you have a return label, your items will not be picked up.
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- UPS Pick-Up: https://www.ups.com/pickup/
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Iowa State University
Scheman Building
1805 Center Drive
Ames, IA 50011
-or-
Iowa State University
Hilton Coliseum
1705 Center Drive
Ames, IA 50011
If you are attending the BIT or P2P fairs and your booth is in a different location, your materials will be moved for you. At the end of the Engineering Career Fair, please pack up your display materials completely, mark them with the new booth number, and they will be waiting for you at the new booth location in the morning. If you are staying in the same booth, you can simply leave your materials up at your booth.
Engineering Career Services Staff will be available in the help desk located on the 1st and 2nd floor of Scheman as well as the inner concourse of Hilton throughout the day if you have any questions or concerns. Career Services student volunteers will be around the facility (Red long sleeve shirts, or ISU Polos) to provide assistance as needed. You can also email ECS staff at ecs@iastate.edu for any concerns during the fair.
For all lodging information, visit the Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau home page at: https://www.thinkames.com/poi/stay/
Virtual Career Fair Information
No Virtual Fair is Scheduled for Spring 2023
The price for the virtual fair is $200 per employer. There is no limit to the number of representatives allowed to participate.
The virtual career fair will be held using CyHire. On the day of the fair, employers and students will be logged in and interact in the virtual fair setting through one-on-one video conversations using your preferred platform (Zoom, WebEx, Teams, etc.). Students will be able to search for employers, review their profiles and posted jobs, and join queues of employers they are interested in speaking to. Employers will then initiate a video chat with the first student in their queue. Employers will hold video chats with students for brief conversations, just like an in-person career fair.
All recruiters participating in the virtual fair will need to be added to the registration form in CyHire. Those who do not currently have a CyHire account will have one auto-created for them. Each representative will need to have their own specific video chat link entered into CyHire prior to the career fair for them to connect with students during the fair.
Employers will also have the opportunity to practice the technology prior to the fair. To register for a practice event, visit the events section of CyHire.
Learn how to use the system- Video Overview: https://iastate.webex.com/iastate/ldr.php?RCID=08e588796f734bdb92b1b38ffceda649
On the day of the fair, each representative who has been entered on the registration form, will log into their CyHire account (https://cyhire.iastate.edu/employers), go to the ‘Events’ tab on the left-hand side, and click on the Virtual Engineering Career Fair. When the fair is live, students will be able to search all registered employers and join queues of those they’re interested in talking to. Representatives will select the first student in the queue and click ‘Start Chat’, which will automatically send the link to join the representative’s video chat to the student.
Engineering Career Services staff will be available during the fair to assist you! You can reach us by contacting our office directly (515-294-2540 or ecs@iastate.edu).
Recruiting Tips
The colored dots on the name tags of job seekers relate to their majors and are provided to help employers connect with more job seekers. Recruiters are encouraged to initiate conversations with individuals walking by their booth who may be interested in their employment opportunities.
Many of the ISU alums have experienced ISU career fairs and will be able to easily connect with students. Current Cyclones enjoy learning about Alums’ experiences and their professional paths.
Like, share, post, and tag ‘Iowa State Engineering Career Services’ on your Facebook and Instagram posts! Send a tweet to @ISU_CoE with details about your booth location for the career fair and upcoming on-campus events and interviews.
While securing an employee is the target of the career fair, ensure you are engaging with first-year students to build relationships for the future. The interactions students have at their first career fairs often have a lasting impact on their employment decisions in the future. Please let ECS know if you have any concerns.
What to do After the Engineering Career Fairs
Employers are encouraged to interview students on-campus or coordinate virtually through CyHire. For more information on how to register, visit: https://www.engineering.iastate.edu/ecs/employers/on-campus-interviewing/
Representatives will have access to view the notes they took as well as view the resumes of students who joined their queue after the fair through the end of the semester. A download of the resumes, as well as any notes taken, will be automatically sent to representatives at the end of the fair.
Please let ECS know if there is any additional support your team needs in the hiring process. If your team hires intern or co-op students, please encourage them to register the experience through our office. This helps us know which companies are actively hiring our students and helps us with corporate engagement efforts. As well, students that register their internships and co-ops so they show up on their transcripts, can use those hours towards a P.E. license. We thank you for your commitment to Iowa State University and the education and employment of our students.