CMHT Career Expo Brings Top Employers to Campus

Each semester, the College of Merchandising, Hospitality & Tourism welcomes employers from the hospitality and retail industries to recruit students for part-time work, internships, and entry-level, full-time opportunities. Fall of 2022 was no exception! After many years of conducting separate career fairs for each department, the CMHT Career Expo brought the Department of Hospitality & Tourism Management and the Department of Merchandising & Digital Retail together as many employers seek candidates from across our college for a wide range of roles.

To help students prepare for the big day, Dee Wilson, CMHT’s Career Coach, hosted several resume prep sessions in the weeks leading up to the Career Expo. In these sessions, she assisted with resumes, students’ elevator speeches, and interviewing tips to ensure students felt polished for the event. Flyers were posted online and in classes letting students know of all the employers coming in to connect with them. Many employers quickly noticed how well-prepared our students were as they spoke and presented themselves. Representatives from several companies all mentioned in comments that they were impressed by how “sharp” our students were.

With the Union Emerald ballroom at capacity after a year of virtual fairs, and a year of socially distanced booths, the CMHT Career Expo delivered 67 companies for a day of recruiting, networking, and interviewing, with several represented by our own alumni, including our top sponsors Raising Cane’s, Omni Hotels & Resorts and Altar’d State. Alumni returning to recruit current students is a testament to how well they were prepared for their own careers by CMHT. This allowed current students to visualize themselves in the future as these employers were in the students’ shoes not so long ago.

A student networking luncheon allowed students to dine with a chosen premier employer to network further and discuss goals and opportunities. Supporting students in their quest to start their careers, the luncheon offered yet another avenue to make valuable connections with a perspective employer. As interviews rounded out the day, it was evident that beneficial relationships were established, and even new careers were launched.