In October of 2020, the Construction Management Department at Boise State University hosted a successful annual industry career fair, while following the University’s Covid-19 restrictions.
Typically the event takes place indoors in a Student Union ballroom, but this year the CM team creatively held a tailgate-style career fair. Thirty-two companies were spread throughout the courtyard of the new Micron Center for Materials Research building for the day-long event. Participants were required to wear masks and maintain their distance. Industry tents were placed so that social distancing could be maintained, and reps were accommodating in following the public gathering restrictions for the University.
The career fair draws in sponsors from throughout the US and is key to hiring for businesses– especially in the Treasure Valley. Bryce Parker of Beniton Construction said, “Beniton looks forward to this event every year – this is our primary recruiting tool for up-and-coming industry talent.” The sentiment was echoed by other businesses that rely on the annual career fair to connect with top-tier talent. “Many of the people at our company came from the Boise State CM program, so this career fair is extremely important to us,” said Tucker Robb of McMillen Jacobs Associates.
Due to Covid-19, many career fairs across the country have been canceled or changed into a digital format. “The Boise State CM team recognizes the value of students developing relationships with our industry supporters. In this regard, an in-person career fair was organized to allow for the building of relationships, in a COVID19 safe and compliant way,” said Casey Cline, CM Department Chair. Parker added, “Beniton appreciates the fact that the career fair was creatively held live instead of a virtual event and thought the outdoor setting worked very well to mitigate Covid restrictions. There is no substitute for talking face to face with future prospects.”
The CM team worked weeks ahead to prepare for the event; ordering tents and tables, working with University catering, marking social distances, and developing ingress/egress maps, as well as informing both students and industry of the need to frequently sanitize. The effort did not go unnoticed and was appreciated by participants. Robb notes “I think the BSU faculty and all industry did an excellent job of keeping safe distances and wearing proper face masks while interacting with students at the event.”
While there are no future plans to host the career fair outdoors again, the CM team has shown their dedication to student learning and creating necessary opportunities for students to engage and interact with employers in their degree field.