The event tent by Flour Fountain buzzed with activity as students wound their way through the maze of business representatives who showed up for the Career Expo on Wednesday.

Returning for its third consecutive year, Biola’s Fall Career Expo gave students the opportunity to learn more about internships and job openings in their field of interest. Students in business casual clothing perused the tables, which exhibited pamphlets, business cards and even some interactive games. Representatives of the companies attended each table to inform students about the possibilities their firm could offer. This year, the 64 tables proved a large increase from the 27 last year and 12 tables in 2016.

“We even invite recent [alumni] to come back if they are looking for a job. It’s a really great opportunity. The Career Center focuses on three things: explore, experience and connect, and the Career Expo is a great way to do that,” said Tiffany Lee, director of Career Development and Success.

With each passing year, the Expo has attracted a larger and more diverse group of organizations. This year’s businesses included Volcom, Nike, Samaritan’s Purse,  Farmers & Merchants Bank and Ronald Blue. Many of the booths were made possible due to the widespread alumni network.   

The event also encouraged students to work on connections through the online resources available to them. Photographers attended the event in order to help provide students with headshots for their LinkedIn profiles. Some students expressed that they were nervous prior to attending the event but ultimately found the experience to be positive and informational.

“A lot of us just don’t know what’s out there, so it’s super helpful and really nice to be able to be introduced to the stuff that we might not have found otherwise,” said senior sociology major Christin Simon.  

Others took full advantage of the opportunity by looking into internships and bringing a prepared resume.

“My expectation is to find connections, best case scenario would be to find an internship but definitely establishing connections and doing research and applying is how you get there,” said junior sociology major Matthew Chan.

As students like Chan proactively seek jobs and internships, Lee is optimistic about potential employment for those in attendance.

“My prayer is that every single employer at the Expo will end up hiring one of our students from this event,” Lee said.

Another Career Expo will also be coming to Biola in the spring.