Matches Made in Newcomb: Job-Seeking Students Meet Eager Employers

University of Virginia students – some 2,300 of them – printed stacks of résumés, donned their best outfits and headed over to Newcomb Hall on Wednesday and Thursday for the annual Fall Job and Internship Fair. There they encountered recruiters from 152 corporations, non-profit organizations and government agencies who came to meet some of the University’s best and brightest.

“The job fair is a great resource,” said Amelia Wilt, a second-year student planning to major in psychology. “It’s a great way to meet companies, find out what they do and make a great first impression – you know, get your foot in the door.”

Rohan Bapat, who is currently studying for a master’s degree in data science, said, “I am possibly looking for a career in analytics – anything in the tech industry. I can see a lot of companies here that I would like to work for. This is a great opportunity.”

In an anonymous survey, a large number of students felt that the fair was well-executed and a great opportunity to gain experience speaking with potential employers, said Amy Jorgensen, associate director of marketing and communications at the UVA Career Center. Students seemed to especially enjoy what one described as “the slightly more casual ‘come-as-you-are’ dress code.”

Many recruiters also thought that the fair was a good opportunity, and it was clear their past experiences with University graduates brought them back for more. UVA Today spoke to some recruiters at the fair to learn what they’re looking for in a possible employee, and what brought them to UVA.

Case Parker, Choice Hotels

Choice Hotels, a Rockville, Maryland-based hospitality holding corporation, owns 5,000 hotels across the country and 1,000 hotels internationally. As a franchisor, Choice Hotels provides support by being in charge of brand management, back-office systems, helping hotels track their performance and more. 

Q. What are you looking for in an employee?

A. We’re looking for diverse thoughts and opinions. We’re not necessarily looking for a business or commerce major. It’s important to us to have people from different backgrounds, education and upbringing. Being excited about our industry is important as well.

Q. Why have you chosen to recruit at UVA?

A. We’ve had a lot of success with UVA. My colleague is a UVA graduate. She’s a superstar and we’re hoping to find more superstars here.

Delfon McRae, Technica

Since 1991, Technica has been providing technology integration, professional services, products and technology solutions to defense, intelligence, law enforcement and civilian agencies. They provide customer-tailored, budget-sensitive solutions in emerging technologies such as big data analytics.

Q. What are you looking for in an employee?

A. We’re looking for a great aptitude to learn, a desire to get your feet wet in regards to technology, the ability to think on your feet. We tend to look for a background in data analytics and running algorithms. A thirst to learn and grow is important.

Q. Why have you chosen to recruit at UVA?

A. My colleague is a UVA graduate, so we knew that this would be a good place to look.

Marsha Burger, Apex Clean Energy

Apex was started with one goal in mind: speed the shift to clean energy. Today, Apex partners with other organizations in order to create a path to renewable energy for all sizes and budgets. Apex provides “best-in-class execution across resource assessment, engineering, construction and asset management of utility-scale clean energy projects.”

Q. What are you looking for in an employee?

A. It really depends on what department they’re in, because we have so many. Each one could be its own business. Overall, we look for smart, ambitious and driven people.

Q. Why have you chosen to recruit at UVA?

A. We love UVA. Many of our interns last year were UVA students. We recruit undergraduates, Darden [School of Business] students and from the Law School. They’re good folks.