Business Horizons hosts record number of employers, students

The Pamplin Career Services team recently hosted the fall 2023 Business Horizons Career Fair at the Commonwealth Ballroom in Squires Student Center. The career fair continues to be one of Pamplin’s largest events, so much so that, for the first time in the event’s 40-plus year history, the event was expanded to take place over two days.

“We set out to offer our students an opportunity to meet with more companies than in any previous year while also creating a more inviting and accessible event space,” explained Jennifer Tortora, director of career services and employer relations for Pamplin College of Business. “The most feasible way to accomplish this was to expand the event to two days.”

According to Tortora, the two-day event hosted a record number of employer participants, with over 150 unique companies in attendance. In addition, over 2000 students attended each respective day of Business Horizons, totaling over 3300 unique student attendees, also a record number.

The expansion of the Business Horizons Career Fair, already one of the largest career fairs at Virginia Tech, was not the only change introduced to the event. The fall 2023 career fair included, for the first time, a tour the evening before the event, allowing students to receive a sneak peek into the layout of the venue and as well as ask questions about what to expect in the following days. A “recharge” station was also added to give students and employers a space to regroup, grab a snack or water, charge their phones, and rest without having to leave the ballroom.

Another feature making its debut at the event was the addition of QR codes at each employer booth. With the help of the Pamplin IT team, these QR codes were affixed to each booth, allowing students the opportunity to scan the code to learn more about the opportunities available as well as digitally drop their resume to each prospective employer.

“This provided a more efficient way for companies to share information with those waiting in line as well as track the candidates who visited their booth,” said Hannah Landers, assistant director of career services and student programming.

The Pamplin Career Services team also offered their support during the event with a “Career Questions” station set up for students who had last-minute questions about their elevator pitch as well as questions about how to approach companies they are interested in working for.

Over 100 student volunteers, as well as the Business Horizons Student Team, assisted with organization and execution throughout the event.

Later this month, Pamplin Career Services will host a virtual career and internship fair. This will offer students an additional opportunity to meet with companies in a career fair setting. Please visit the Pamplin Career Services events calendar for more information.

For images from the event, please visit the fall 2023 Business Horizons Career Fair photo gallery.