The first annual Diverse Buffs Mixer was held on Nov. 9 at the UMC. About 40 employers from various companies around Denver and the Front Range came to find students who could fill up their internships and their entry-level positions for alumni in attendance.

Several companies were present at the mixer, including Progressive Insurance, Northwestern Mutual and Wal-Mart.

Ann Herrmann, the assistant director for student programs at Career Services, said the event was held as part of the 17^th annual Diversity and Inclusion Summit. The Diverse Buffs mixer is separate from the larger career fair held in early October

“We wanted to help support the diversity and have an event specific to the diversity population on campus,” Herrmann said. “A lot of companies are looking to diversify their work force.”

Herrmann said she estimated that 50 to 60 students came to the event.

Thirty minutes of the event were dedicated to students and employers mingling with each other. For the next portion of the event, the keynote speaker and former CU quarterback Charles “CJ” Johnson spoke to attendees.

“We thought [Charles Johnson] would connect well with students and have a good message,” Herrmann said.

Johnson not only spoke about his life as a CU quarterback, but also how he was able to maximize himself in order to receive more opportunities than he normally would. He advised students that taking chances often pays off.

“Breaking out of that box, finding that my comfort zone wasn’t all that comforting—it only slowed my growth and reduced the opportunities I could have,” Johnson said in his speech.

After the Johnson’s speech, students and employers were able to network and talk to possible employers who had many internship positions to fill.

Bruce Hartmann, a Progressive liability claims representative, said that the students he encountered seemed to be both professional and prepared.

“I am impressed,” Hartmann said. “I would say to be a little bit more courageous in coming and chatting with employers, but I can equally understand the fear.”

Alex Gearhart, a 21-year-old senior Spanish major, said that he came to the diversity event to find companies with a global focus.

“There’s this guy from Nielson here and they do international market research,” Gearhart said. “I’m here for really specific reasons. I just want to get it and get out as opposed to people who are trying to practice meeting people.”

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Vanessa Harmoush at Vanessa.harmoush@colorado.edu.

On Oct. 5, more than 125 different companies came to CU’s career fair and more than 30 organizations that were wait listed due to lack of space.

According to a press release, the level of success comes from the fact that the career fair was only for one day, instead of over the course of two days like last year.

“I think the different format was helpful because we had everyone come on one day and students were able to work it within their one day schedule instead of two days,” Suzann Shotts, event coordinator for Career Services, said. “There were different employers each day and I think all employers one day really helped.”

Shefali Shah, a senior business major, learns about career opportunities with Teach America from senior political science and economics major Liz Thurston in the Glenn Miller Ballroom. Future graduates and alumni took advantage of the dozens of networking and career connections made available at the career fair in 2010. (CU Independent file/Amy Moore-Shipley)Tanner Hannam, a 20-year-old junior electrical engineering major, said he went to the career fair for the experience.

“I thought it was a good experience to get out there and start looking for internships,” Tanner Hannam, a junior electrical engineering major, said.

According to the press release, last year, there were 3000 students that came over the course of two days with different employers each day. This year, 3150 students and alumni came to the fair in one day.

“Employers said students were really well prepared and they were really worn out,” Shotts said.

Shotts said many of the employers do informational presentations at the career fair, then they have meetings at night and finally they do interviews on campus.

“We have at least one student here [at the Career Service Center] offered a job after an on campus interview,” Shotts said.

The companies that attend the career fair are chosen simply based on their own interests.

“What we do is we send main invitation to all employers and tell them when registration is open and they can start signing up,” Shotts said.

The companies represented at the fair were mostly engineering companies; however, there were a higher number of new companies that represented arts and science as well as business.

“I was going through the list of all the companies that were going to be there and there were definitely a lot of opportunities for engineers, specifically for what I’m doing,” Hannam said. “There wasn’t a shortage of potential companies there.”

According to the press release, off the 3150 students and alumni in attendance this year, 50 percent were Arts & Science majors. 9 percent of attendees were alumni and 35 percent were CU freshmen, up from the mere 5-9 percent of freshmen attendees last year.

All Arts and Science freshmen had to participate in the buff essentials. The career fair was a buff essentials activity.

Hannam spoke to three companies and gave them his resume during the career fair.

“I was interviewed by one of them, but I haven’t had any other contact with any of them,” Hannam said.

There will be two more career fairs next year, one in the last week of January, and the other in the first week of April. The alumni career fair will take place in June.

Contact CU Staff Writer Vanessa Harmoush at Vanessa.harmoush@colorado.edu.

The fair was on Wednesday in the UMC Ballroom. Over 100 different companies attended, giving students the opportunity to discuss possible internships and careers.

According to the CU-Boulder website, “the Career Fair is open to CU-Boulder students and alumni who are seeking career information and opportunities.”

Jordan Lind, an 18-year-old freshman communications major, went to the Career fair for the first time this year.

“If I was an engineer I think it would be really helpful, but being a communications major right now, it was kind of overwhelming,” Lind said.

Students in search of jobs meet with professionals at the Fall Career and Internship Fair put on by Career Services at CU on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011. Some of the companies that attended include Boeing, Google, Microsoft, Pandora, Target, and many more. (CU Independent/Robert R. Denton)

There were well-known companies from Google, Shell, and Chipotle, to lesser known ones such as Buckle, Capital IQ, and Pivotal Labs. Students could walk around and choose what companies to speak to.

“I spoke to Alyssa from Solutelia about the opportunities that they wanted me to do for writing,” Lind said.

For upperclassmen, this was their opportunity to find potential jobs after graduation. Underclassmen also benefited from the experience. Lind said the career fair was a tool to prepare for the next few years in college.

“It is a really good opportunity for upperclassmen and seniors, so they can figure out what they want to do for the rest of their lives and get some ideas,” Lind said.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Vanessa Harmoush at Vanessa.harmoush@colorado.edu.