Bauer Means Business
Bauer Career Fair Connects Hundreds of Students, Employers
Each semester, the C. T. Bauer College of Business brings recruiters from hundreds of leading companies to campus, drawing a crowd of more than 2,000 students to this semester’s recent Fall Business Career Fair.
The event is organized by Rockwell Career Center, Bauer College's dedicated on-site professional development resources that provides career coaching for students and alumni to be successful on the internship and job hunt.
“What I hear from employers after they meet and hire our students is that they’re really hard workers.”
In the weeks leading up to Career Fair, Bauer students have the opportunity to work with RCC staff to improve their résumés, conduct mock interviews and receive personalized coaching. A course offered to undergraduate students, Connecting Bauer to Business, is dedicated to sharpening those interview skills, building strong credentials and preparing students for the workforce.
Additionally, at the graduate student level, the day before the Career Fair, the RCC Graduate and Alumni Career Services team hosts an International Student Roundtable to give those students an opportunity to ask questions and flesh out their elevator pitches.
RCC has also brought smaller groups of employers to campus for recruiting events several times this semester. At Career Fair, students have the chance to talk face-to-face with recruiters from across industries to learn more about part-time and full-time positions as well as internship opportunities.
“What I hear from employers after they meet and hire our students is that they’re really hard workers,” RCC Undergraduate Career Counseling Director Troy Hopkins said. “They have grit.”
“What we hear time and time again is that they’re really touched by our students’ stories,” RCC Executive Director Kelly Collins said. "They’re first-generation college students, supporting families and working two jobs, all while maintaining really great academic records. They do it with such positivity and humility that I think it really speaks to who these students are.”
This semester’s Career Fair brought several leading employers to campus, including Academy Sports & Outdoors, ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66, Ryan and H-E-B.
H-E-B Warehouse Team Leader and Bauer alumna Ghislen Garcia (BBA ‘22) returned to her alma mater as a representative for H-E-B at the Career Fair. She shared an interest in helping students find the right fit for their future career.
“Every time that we're coming to a career fair, we want to see
a positive outlook on what the student’s career is going to look like.”
H-E-B Warehouse Team Leader and Bauer alumna Ghislen Garcia (BBA ‘22)
“Every time that we're coming to a career fair, we want to see a positive outlook on what the student’s career is going to look like,” Garcia said. “What goes a long way are students who know exactly what they want. In regard to H-E-B, we're all about helping the community, helping the partners and being that constant in everyone's life, especially when it comes to groceries.”
In between chats with recruiters and checking out the next booth, students shared how they prepared to make a lasting impression and what they were hoping to get out of this year’s Career Fair.
Viviana Acosta
BBA Finance Student
“My goal is to one day own my own business and work in financial analysis as well,” Acosta said. “Talking to all the different businesses is opening my mind to new ideas and pathways to embrace.”
Tram Vo (Right)
BBA Finance Student
“On the Hire Bauer Instagram, they put up lists of all the companies that would be there,” Vo said. “I did research on the companies I’m interested in beforehand and how they can help me grow as a future employee.”
Priscilla Pickard (Center)
BBA Accounting Student
“I looked for companies that are small or new,” Pickard said. “I’m hoping I have more of a chance with those, because maybe they don’t know what they’re looking for in an employee yet and I can show them what I have to offer.”
Lucy Barlett (Left)
BBA Finance Student
“I did a lot of mock interviews with my husband,” Barlett said. “I had him come up with some random professional questions that kind of caught me off guard. If I come across those questions today with the recruiters, I’m able to give a definite answer.”
Alex Tonthat (Left)
BBA Management Information Systems Student
“I did like a lot of practice simulations with AI,” Tonthat said. “I also did back and forth interview practice with my sister, who has a job. It was a lot of using other resources and the people I have in my family to prepare.”
Brian Zelaya (Right)
BBA Finance Student
“I'm confident for this Career Fair because there are many businesses that I connect with,” Zelaya said. “I prepared by researching them and taking notes of what questions I want to ask.”
Ethan Cathro
BBA Supply Chain Management Student
“I want to go into the energy industry where I can become a successful supply chain manager and work my way up to a Chief Procurement Officer,” Cathro said.
Saja Hashim
BBA Finance Student
“My main goal is to work in the finance industry, either in trading or become a financial adviser,” Hashim said.
George Roque
BBA Finance Student
“I’m hoping to make new connections, meet new people and hopefully land an internship opportunity,” Roque said.
Kathryn Huffman
BBA Management Information Systems Student
“I want to land a summer internship with the hopes of a full-time job afterwards,” Huffman said. “I really am a sponge for knowledge. I want to learn new things and meet new people.”
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