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GRAND FORKS — Nearly 700 UND students registered to attend the university’s annual spring career and internship fair, held at the Alerus Center on Wednesday, Feb. 2.
The event was postponed by one day due to Blizzard Daphne sweeping through the region on Tuesday. Having to bump the career fair back a day caused some employers to pull out. An event organizer said about 150 companies were slated to attend the fair, but 110 were on hand on Wednesday.
“It’s still a pretty good turnout for having to push back a day,” said Jennifer Proulx, events and communication coordinator.
Shortly after 11 a.m., when the doors opened to the event, more than 200 UND students walked across the main floor of the Alerus Center, resumes in hand. Lunch was provided, as were several services for students, such as getting headshots for resume photos.
Employers ranged from law enforcement agencies across the region to professional services and state government. Airlines were fairly well represented at the fair. Employers came from several states including Wisconsin, Colorado and Washington.
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UND senior Marc Aka said he was looking for jobs in accountancy. Hailing from the Ivory Coast, a western African nation, Aka said he felt “50%” confident in his language skills.
“I'm not originally from the USA, I came from another country,” he said. “My first language is French, (and) I'm still learning English.”
Wednesday’s job fair is the second to be held in-person at the Alerus Center since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The fall career fair, held in September 2021, was also held at the event center. In 2020, UND moved its career fairs to an online platform. Masks were required at the event, and it appeared that the majority of people were in compliance with the rule.
Students and employers who didn’t have a chance to attend the in-person event will soon get another chance to do so, albeit in an online capacity. UND will hold a virtual career fair on Feb. 23 from 1-5 p.m.
