At the NIU College of Business, one of our keystones is delivering hands-on, experiential learning to our students. While this comes in many ways, one of the most impactful ways Huskies garner real-world experiences is through internships that often lead to job offers.
College of Business students have come to count on our career and internship fairs each semester, which draw renowned businesses to campus and give students access to contacts in their dream industries.
In February, our spring College of Business Career Fair attracted more than 180 students and more than 20 businesses to Barsema Hall’s Haribo Commons, including Ally, Fastenal, Graybar Electric, the State of Illinois, Thrivent and Wintrust, to name a few. The Finance Student Association also hosted a prep workshop the week before where students learned how to dress, meet and greet representatives from companies.
This year’s career fair in Haribo Commons combined all areas of study, apart from accountancy.
“This was the first time the Professional Sales Program really promoted the College of Business career fair to both our sponsors and students,” said Jenny Redisi, the program’s director. “The combined event was great because students could prioritize one evening and one place for all opportunities.”
That same night, the Accountancy Career Fair brought 97 accountancy students to the Holmes Student Center’s Duke Ellington Ballroom where they were able to mingle with recruiters from near three dozen companies like Crowe, the FBI, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers PwC, Plante Moran and Wipfli.
Accountancy student Kassie Long has had some luck with attending career fairs in the past. Last summer, she received an internship with John Deere at their North American Parts Distribution Center as part of their accounting team. This summer, she has secured another internship with John Deere at their product engineering center for large tractors as part of their accounting team.
“One class I was required to take for my accountancy major was an Accounting Career Planning Class,” Long said. “This class required me to attend the accountancy career fair, where I was able to meet John Deere and set up a follow-up interview for an internship.”
Kassie added that the job fair played a huge role in helping her get connected with John Deere.
“I truly feel without the career fair, I would not have had the opportunity I did last summer and this upcoming summer,” she said. “I was excited for this internship with John Deere because I come from an agricultural background. My grandparents had a dairy farm, which my older brother has now fully taken over. With John Deere, I was able to bring my passion for agriculture and accounting together for my career.”
Diana Gomez is an accountancy student who made the right connections at last month’s career fair. She was chosen for an audit internship at Plante Moran this summer.
“I am excited about this internship as it will boost my knowledge of what I already know about auditing,” she said. “The COB job fairs are a great opportunity for students to expand their network, especially for someone without experience.”
Suzanne Youngberg, internship director and instructor in the Department of Accountancy, said the Accountancy Career Fair is invaluable to students, leaving them with some pretty important takeaways.
“By attending the Accountancy Career Fair, students are gaining information about each firm/company and making connections. Participating in a discussion with a staff person or a partner allows the student to gain insight into the professional ‘real world.’ Connections at the career fair lead to building a relationship with an employer, which hopefully leads to an interview and an internship. Experiencing the excitement at the career fair is an event they will always remember.”
