Southeast students searching for employment opportunities attended the virtual Career Expo hosted by Career Services from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 4.

The expo was held on Career Fair Plus, a mobile application that assists institutions hosting virtual recruiting events.

The app allowed students to complete a professional profile and schedule meetings with company recruiters.

Career Services employer relations specialist Amy Aldridge said more than 50 companies attended the expo.

Local recruiters from SEHealth, Cape Girardeau Public Schools and MRV Banks were in attendance. Recruiters from companies based in St. Louis — Brown Smith Wallace, BJC HealthCare and the St. Louis County Police Department — were also available to students.

Aldridge said employers count on Career Services to help fill job openings.

“We have so many employers who say, ‘Hey, I need to start looking for a new intern or employee. I hired so-and-so two years ago, but they are moving somewhere else, and we want to find someone just like them,” Aldrige said.

She said the expo was “great practice” for students, as most companies are recruiting virtually due to the pandemic.

Career Service director Dan Presson said the department hosted its first virtual expo during the Fall 2020 semester. He said virtual expos give students more flexibility.

“That's the glory of the virtual Career Fair Plus experience. Students had more times to select, whereas an actual face-to-face event usually only lasts about four hours max.”

He said the expo allowed students to start building a professional profile to ensure students can rely on their network contacts for future employment opportunities.

“Every SEMO student does not have a country club network to rely on that their parents bring to the table. We allow students to be introduced to recruiting contacts who have been coming back to SEMO for 10-plus years,” Presson said.

Presson said Career Services will host its next Career Expo in late September or early October. He said the department is awaiting University guidance as to whether or not the event can be held face-to-face or online.