Business Career Fair Connects Goddard Students with the Right Opportunities

On September 24, the Wattis Building was buzzing.

From 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., students from across the Goddard School filled the halls, meeting with representatives from 30 businesses, asking questions, making connections and exploring opportunities for internships and future careers.

By all accounts, it was the most successful Business Career Fair yet.

But the success of this year's fair wasn't accidental. It was the result of years of thoughtful planning by Business Career Services Director Brett Merrell, along with faculty, staff, student leaders, business partners and the students themselves.

Creating a Better Career Fair Experience

Several years ago, Brett recognized an opportunity to rethink how career fairs could work for Goddard students and employers.

Traditional career fairs can create a challenge for both sides. Students may walk into a room filled with companies but have little way of knowing which organizations are actively looking for students in their particular major. At the same time, employers may be eager to connect with talented students but find it difficult to identify the specific majors and skill sets they are hoping to recruit.

The result can be a lot of activity without enough of the right connections.

Brett set out to change that.

Rather than simply filling a room with employers, he developed a more intentional approach. The businesses invited to the Goddard Business Career Fair are selected because they are interested in hiring multiple students—not simply filling a single seasonal or one-time position. They are also organizations with established relationships with the Goddard School, many of which have hired Goddard students in the past and have demonstrated a strong history of working with the college.

Just as importantly, Brett learns in advance which majors each company is interested in recruiting.

That information then becomes a roadmap for students.

Working with Goddard Marketing Manager Eliza Fry, Brett creates materials that clearly identify the businesses attending the fair and the majors they are hoping to meet. Students receive this information ahead of time, giving them the opportunity to research companies, identify organizations that align with their goals and arrive prepared to have meaningful conversations.

Instead of wondering where to start, students can walk into the fair with a plan.

Preparing Students to Make an Impression

Preparation didn't stop with providing students a list of companies.

In the weeks leading up to the fair, Brett shared an interview with students highlighting some of the common mistakes students make at career fairs and offering practical advice for making a strong first impression.

He also partnered with his assistant and the Business Advising Center to hold two resume workshops, giving students an opportunity to strengthen one of the most important tools they bring to a career fair.

The goal was simple: help students arrive prepared, confident and ready to make connections.

Faculty members played an important role as well. Professors promoted the fair in their classes and encouraged students to attend. Some even adjusted their class schedules to make it possible for students to participate.

Faculty support extended beyond simply sending students to the event. Professors made introductions when they had connections with attending businesses, offered letters of recommendation, helped students network and identified opportunities for businesses to connect with students through presentations and other classroom experiences.

The result was a true college-wide effort to help students connect with employers.

A Welcoming Experience from the Moment Employers Arrived

On the morning of the fair, the Goddard Student Ambassador team and student leaders from Goddard clubs were stationed throughout the Wattis Building.

Their job was to welcome business representatives, help them find their designated tables and make sure employers had everything they needed to get started.

Each company's table also featured signage identifying the majors they were interested in meeting, making it easier for students to quickly identify where they could make meaningful connections.

Once the fair began, the halls came alive.

Students moved from table to table, introducing themselves to representatives, asking questions, learning about organizations and putting their professional skills into practice. For many students, it was an opportunity to take an important first step toward an internship, job or long-term professional relationship.

And this year, employers noticed a difference.

Company representatives shared that while they enjoy returning to the Business Career Fair each year, the students seemed particularly prepared and engaged this time around. Students weren't simply wandering through the fair—they were having conversations, asking thoughtful questions and demonstrating a clear interest in the organizations they approached.

Building Connections Beyond the Fair

One of the most valuable aspects of the event is that the connections don't have to end when the tables come down.

The Business Career Fair gives students an opportunity to get their foot in the door with organizations that actively recruit Goddard students. A conversation at a career fair can become an interview, an internship, a job—or simply the beginning of a professional relationship that grows over time.

For employers, the fair provides a concentrated opportunity to meet talented students from the majors they are actually looking to recruit.

For faculty, it creates another avenue for connecting classroom learning with the professional world.

And for students, it provides something that can be difficult to create on their own: direct access to employers who are interested in what they have to offer.

A Little Something Extra

There was even an opportunity for students and faculty to update their professional headshots during the event.

A photographer was stationed in the Dean's Conference Room throughout the morning, offering free professional headshots to anyone interested. Students could leave the fair not only with new professional connections, but also with a polished photo for LinkedIn, resumes and other professional profiles.

A Community Effort

The success of this year's Business Career Fair reflects the work of an entire Goddard community.

Thirty businesses made the trip to the Wattis Building. Faculty encouraged their students to participate and helped create connections. Student ambassadors and club leaders welcomed employers and helped the morning run smoothly. Brett and the Business Career Services team spent months building relationships and preparing students. And, most importantly, students showed up ready to engage.

The result was exactly what Brett envisioned when he set out to rethink the career fair experience: a focused environment where employers could meet the students they were looking for and students could find organizations looking for people like them.

The halls were busy. The conversations were constant. Connections were being made.

And when the last employer packed up, there was already plenty of anticipation for the next one.

The Goddard School's next Business Career Fair can't come soon enough.

Photos of the Business Career Fair 2026