“A reverse career fair is a career fair in which students have booths and the employees walk around and visit students,” Brandon Lane senior media studies major and the American Marketing Association President said. “Exactly the opposite of a normal career fair.”

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s American Marketing Association started hosting a reverse career fair for its members three years ago.

Students prepared for the AMA reverse career fair by updating their résumés, developing business cards to hand out and creating poster boards that show off some of their personal highlights as a student and possible employee. Some students even created picture presentations with their tablets to help present themselves.

“Here I am an individual, I can show off my talents and expertise,” junior business administration Hannah Dawson said. “At the other career fairs I am only a number.”

Senior business administration major Stacy Kamminga said that she preferred the smaller amount of people who attended the reverse career fair because it made everything more individualized.

“The roles are in reverse. Instead of being put on the spot, you are in control,” Kamminga said.

Lane also explained that typically students have had a lot success with the reverse career fair and employers have given very positive feedback.

One employer, Lorelei Kuhn, a staff recruiter for Oxford said that the reverse career fair was nice and less work for her as an employer. She also said she would come back again next year.

“Students who take four hours out of their day in the middle of the week to put presentation together are the kind of people I want working for me,” Kuhn said.

Kuhn had one downfall that she mentioned and that was that she wished there were more graduating seniors who were looking for full time jobs.

Lane also mentioned that anyone of any major is welcome to participate in the AMA reverse career fair as long as they are paid members of AMA.

[email protected]