Student groups and employers switched roles for NIU’s first Reverse Career Fair.

The Tuesday event gave employers the chance to interview student organizations on criteria that companies are looking for. About 20 student organizations and nine businesses were in attendance.

“I think the benefit goes to the students in that they start obviously communicating more of their leadership skills and their organization mission as a whole to showcase themselves and their organizations,” said Jocelyn Santana, Career Resources Center manager.

Employers from companies like Verizon, Sherwin-Williams, Kohl’s, Target and even the ROTC were in attendance for the opportunity to learn more about student organizations.

“One on the main questions I had asked organizations when I approached them was, ‘What is your organization about. What philanthropy are you involved in?’” said Kohl’s store manager Andrew Mikal.

Student organizations like Alpha Psi Lambda, Black Male Initiative, Latino Christian Fellowship and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers had booths set up and were ready to greet prospective employers.

“It’s really great to kind of network with employers and see what they’re offering and what they’re expecting within graduates,” said COMM-SAC President John Larson.

Career Services and the Latino Resource Center collaborated on the Reverse Career Fair as a way to offer students more ways of connecting with employers from various fields.

“We kind of brainstormed on our approach to student organizations, so we came up with an invitation kind of outlining what a reverse career fair is,” said Angelica Mendoza, assistant director of the Latino Resource Center.

The event began with a speech delivered by Rosita Lopez, professor of leadership, education, psychology and foundations, who told stories of her own personal struggles as a Latina woman integrating into a corporate environment.

“It’s important to start talking about that professional image now, and those barriers, and how do you combine both worlds together,” Santana said.

A panel of employer representatives answered questions from students as part of the finishing touches for the fair. The questions dealt with the importance of internships, the qualifications needed to be hired and whether the companies had any prior history with NIU student organizations.