The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s All Majors Career Fair saw record attendance this year, with 1,027 student attendees. The Office of Career Services has hosted the fair every fall semester since the 1980s. It enables students to connect with alumni and area employers to gain insight into their future careers before graduation.
Kimberly Billeaudeau, director of Career Services at UL Lafayette, said students this year brought newfound excitement as they networked with professionals, took photo headshots and worked on their résumés.
This year, the fair hosted more than 170 employers looking to recruit part-time and full-time workers and interns. The career fair has been growing every year since its inception, Billeaudeau said. It recently relocated to the Cajundome Convention Center to accommodate demand.
“Many of the companies that seek us out are bringing UL Lafayette alumni to speak to students as a former student,” she said.
About 10 years ago, the fair began hosting a special section dedicated to student-athletes. This year, it was met with major success.
“We had such a huge turnout from our student-athletes and support from our coaches and athletics,” Billeaudeau said. “This one was very interactive and engaging, allowing students to go through mock interviews, learn how to tie a tie and compete in an elevator pitch competition."
The career fair saw a 33% increase in attendance from last year, with 127 freshmen, 111 sophomores, 191 juniors and 330 seniors. About one third of attendees were seniors.
The Office of Career Services will host a STEM Career Fair, Business, Arts, Liberal Arts, General Career Fair and Nursing & Health Sciences Career Fair in Spring 2025. Visit Louisiana.edu/career for updates on future career events and resources.