ASU is gearing up for Fall 2025 engineering career fairs, offering students a chance to connect with employers, explore industries and pursue internships or full-time roles.
The season began on Tuesday with undergraduate-focused fairs on the Tempe campus. The Polytechnic campus will host a fair for undergraduate, master's and doctoral students on Thursday. For students feeling pressure about the uncertainty of the job market, these fairs are more than just a networking opportunity.
Garrett Gibson, a junior studying computer science, attended the ASU Engineering Career Fair with a clear goal: to secure an internship for the summer between his junior and senior years.
"I wanted to come out here to meet local businesses and other businesses coming from around the nation to get connections (and) to be able to apply to those applications with a more personal connection," Gibson said.
These "personal connections" are not only important to potential interns, but also to the recruiters at the event.
Kelsey Urbanchek, a product lifecycle management manager at Boeing Mesa, said hiring managers look for candidates who will engage, ask questions and fit into team culture. Face-to-face interactions allow managers to gauge genuine interest and enthusiasm.
For students, Urbanchek prefers willingness to interact with colleagues and clients alongside more technical skills. Urbanchek looks for personality, individual engagement and cross-functionality in engineering roles.
Relevant technical skills — such as software experience, reliability systems and test or analysis work —are a plus, but to Urbanchek, evidence of hands-on projects, problem-solving experience, teamwork and communication skills weigh heavily in the hiring process.
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Gibson went to the event focused on getting an internship over the summer but expressed some anxiety about the current market for jobs.
"I already have internship experience, which is highlighted on my resume, but that isn't getting you anything nowadays," Gibson said.
However, career fairs are key to allowing potential employers to connect with their applicant pool. Chris Gongora, a project engineer at Electrical Consultants, Inc., said employers can assess students beyond their resumes.
"Sure, something looks good on paper, but at a career fair, I'm allowed that interaction," Gongora said. "I can see how you handle things, how are your clothes? ... Is there eye contact? Those are the things that I'm looking for."
At these career fairs, students have the opportunity to put their best foot forward to impress the recruiters at the event. Gongora said he often takes mental and written notes about students he talks to at these fairs.
With employers representing engineering, construction, healthcare, business and other sectors, the University's Fall 2025 career fairs are positioned to be a key gateway to internships and jobs for students across all degree levels.
Meeting recruiters face to face allows students to highlight skills and experiences that don't always come through on an online application and to ask questions about pathways students may not have considered.
Urbanchek said that internships are about networking as much as technical work, and that students should use this chance to build professional connections.
"When you go into your career, then you can all be professional, but enjoy your college time and network," Urbanchek said.
Edited by Kate Gore, George Headley and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at afrahma1@asu.edu.
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Ariana is a sophomore studying Biomedical Informatics. This is her first semester with The State Press.
