Students can still interview with employers Wednesday

Corey Hays buttoned up his black, professional suit and walked down the sidewalk to the O’Connell Center at about 8 a.m. Tuesday.

The 22-year-old business administration senior made sure to come early. Last semester, Hays said he was stuck in a two-and-a-half hour line due to students going through metal detectors at the center.

To solve that, the semi-annual career fair opened its doors 45 minutes early Tuesday, and it will do the same today, lasting from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., said Erica Coste, the associate director of industry relations for the Career Resource Center.

“Last year, it felt a little more disorganized,” Hays said, noting this year went more smoothly.

He attended the first day, or non-technical employer day, to speak with several companies he met at past showcases, including Target and Amazon. Today, others will try to interview with technical employers.

“I’m hoping this time around there will be a definite promise of an internship,” he said.

More employers registered this week than last Spring’s showcase with just under 400, Coste said. The number of students who participated Tuesday was not immediately available. One of the biggest companies every year, Harris Corporation, a technology-service company, returned again for both days.

Randy Shiver, a UF alumnus and project engineer with Harris Corporation, said it’s his 25th year recruiting at the showcase.

“I work with a lot of people from UF day in and day out,” Shiver said. “That’s why we’re here.”

Representatives from Summit Holdings, Inc. speak to a student about the different opportunities at their company. Summit was one of the hundreds of firms and organizations present at Career Showcase in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Tuesday morning.