Career Services at The University of Southern Mississippi hosted its Career and Graduate Schools Fair on the Hattiesburg campus, providing students and alumni with direct access to employers and graduate program representatives.
The event, held once each fall and spring semester, brings together a range of companies and graduate schools in one location. The fair is open to all students and alumni at no cost. Attendees can learn about careers, explore internship opportunities, present resumes and network with recruiters and admissions representatives.
Mackenzie Gray, assistant director of Career Services, said the event is designed to serve students with a variety of postgraduation goals.
“We have a wide range of employers, but we also have different graduate schools here for you guys to kinda browse if you’re interested in going to graduate school,” Gray said. “There’s some really great employment opportunities.”
In addition to the booths, the event included a free professional headshot station.
Gray said the service is intended to help students strengthen their professional profiles, particularly on platforms like LinkedIn.
“Your first impression is the way that you look, and on your LinkedIn profile, it’s nice to have a really snazzy headshot,” she said.
Gray emphasized that the fair is beneficial for students at any academic level.
“Even if you’re a freshman, if you start building your network at that time, it’s going to benefit you throughout your whole career,” Gray said. “Then it’s going to be a lot easier for you to get a job whenever you finish school because you have all these connections.”
To streamline follow-up communication, Career Services used Handshake QR codes during the event. Students who scanned the codes can log into their Handshake accounts after the fair to review the employers they spoke with and access company information.
Cameron McGuire, who graduates in August 2027, attended the fair to assess available opportunities and gain information about employers in the region.
“I came to see who’s hiring in the area and get an understanding of what’s really out there,” McGuire said.
He is interested in the oil and gas industry and went to the fair to talk to the companies with those specialties and give them his resume. McGuire recognizes the importance of networking and seeing the local opportunities.
“I definitely do need to find other opportunities to broaden my horizons and figure out what I need to do,” McGuire said. “The fair was pretty good. For my first one, I think I did pretty well, and I definitely got a lot to learn.”
The Career and Graduate Schools Fair serves as a centralized event for students exploring career paths, internships, graduate education and full-time employment opportunities. By offering networking opportunities, digital follow-up tools and professional development resources at no cost, Career Services aims to support students’ transition from college to the workforce or advanced study.