The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s fall career fair, powered by Career Services, occurred on Oct. 10. The Bluffs Room of the Student Union was buzzing with different businesses trying to attract possible interns and employees. Many UWL students showed up in their best business attire, resume in hand, ready to talk to potential employers.

The event was to show students different options that are available in, or near, the La Crosse area for possible internships or for future careers. Representatives from well-known companies including Target, Walmart and Kwik Trip attended the fair.

Zoe Katrichis and Kyle Bredeson, support center recruiters for Kwik Trip, described that Kwik Trip “offers really everything” in terms of jobs. Not only are they looking for business and marketing majors, but they also hire biology and chemistry majors to work on the food aspect of their company.

Bredeson and Katrichis explained what they look for in potential employees, with Bredeson stating, “Hopefully, they had a part-time job through college, too, because if somebody can work 30 hours a week while going to school that really shows their commitment and work ethic.”

Katrichis chimed in, “One piece of advice I have for students looking for jobs is to really have good multitasking skills. That characteristic is huge in our line of jobs.” She advised students to know what they are looking for in a position before they go talk to an employer. That way, it will narrow down the job-searching.

Human Resources employee of the La Crosse County government Kim Magnuson, on the other hand, said the opposite. She shared, “Just be open-minded. There might be a job opportunity out there that you didn’t know existed.”

The La Crosse County government has a wide variety of jobs available. Magnuson said, “Basically the one thing we don’t do is sell stuff.” These positions instead focus on topics such as highway control, libraries, human services—like social work—zoning and many others.

Another company at the career fair was Epic, a healthware software company. This company is used by Gunderson and other health companies around the La Crosse area. Kirk Weinkes, an employee with Epic, said that he is looking for students who are “willing to work hard and work towards making the world a healthier place.”

Epic offers both internships and full-time jobs. For students interested in working for the company, Weinkes explained, “We are here to help them understand what Epic does and what jobs are like at Epic.”

There were over twenty companies present at the career fair. Many had multiple representatives that were ready to talk to students.

For more information on UWL’s Career Services and other events that they host, along with details on how to find career opportunities in the area, visit https://www.uwlax.edu/career-services/.