Lillie Zate
Connector Staff
On Wednesday, March 23, UMass Lowell will be holding their annual career fair from 4-7pm at the Tsongas Center. As the university’s biggest career fair they’ve ever held, 187 employers representing 40 industries will be visiting to talk with UMass Lowell students about hiring for full-time jobs, summer internships and co-ops.
This fair is sponsored by 6K Inc., Nordson EFD & Medical, EMD Serono & MilliporeSigma, Nitsch Engineering, RSM US LLP, Teradyne, Triboscience & Engineering Inc., Raytheon Technologies and Brooks Automation.
The Spring Career Fair allows students to meet with potential employers and figure out if they want to follow the careers they are interested in. This is especially geared towards juniors and seniors, along with graduate students, as they are starting to look at internships and get their names out there for employment when they graduate.
Due to the pandemic, this career fair was held virtually the last two years, and this is the first time that the career fair will be back to in-person. “Employers are very, very excited to meet UMass Lowell students and connect with them,” Greg Denon, the Associate Dean for Career Development, said. “It is really exciting even to see students have the energy and enthusiasm to explore different opportunities and career paths.”
For freshmen and sophomore-level students this career fair is also beneficial because, although many students may not exactly be sure what they want to do, this is a chance for them to explore and get an idea of what they might want to be interested in.
Employers visiting the career fair know that they are meeting with college students, and many are even UMass Lowell alumni themselves, wanting to connect with current UMass Lowell students. “The biggest thing we want is students to attend,” Denon said. “These employers visiting have a lot to offer, and they just want to meet students and make connections. They want students to have opportunities.”
With over 180 employers visiting, there will be something for nearly every career path. If students want to explore jobs, meet people or simply want to get their name out there, it is encouraged that they attend.
UMass Lowell has an employer relations team that is specifically tasked with looking for companies and building relationships, so they can come to these career fairs and meet students. “Most of the employers that come and visit already know UML and want to specifically hire UML students.” Denon said. “I have many relationships already that I have formed from these career fairs, some of them I’ve had for eight plus years.”
The Spring Career Fair is fantastic for students, because it helps them come out of their shell and meet employers in a non-stressful, neutral environment. Students can walk around and meet employers and talk to whomever they want, all while getting a feel of what field they truly might want to apply themselves for.
As mentioned earlier, this is the first in-person career fair UMass Lowell is hosting since 2019, and they are even overbooked with how many employers are wanting to come visit and connect with students. On March 31, the Career & Co-Op center is also hosting a Law Enforcement and Security Fair to introduce students specifically interested in criminal justice fields, as well.
