Spotlight for Career Services Professionals

Career fairs are one of the most frequently provided services by college career centers, as 91.7 percent reported hosting at least one career fair in 2017-18, according to results in NACE’s 2018-19 Career Services Benchmark Survey Report for Colleges and Universities.

This percentage has remained in the 90 to 95 percent range since 2006.

Overall, respondents held an average of 4.2 career fairs, with an average of 208 organizations and 1,441 students attending. (See Figure 1.) The latter number, in particular, is elevated by the robust attendance at career fairs held by Research 1 and Research 2 institutions.

The number of organizations that attend these fairs has climbed since the Great Recession. In 2008, there was an average of 159 organizations in attendance at career fairs, with a high during 2016 of 215 organizations. (See Figure 2.)

Data from the 2018-19 Career Services Benchmark Survey were collected from December 17, 2018, to March 22, 2019. NACE member institutions were surveyed, resulting in 662 respondents, which translates to a 34.8 percent response rate. The comprehensive survey report details various aspects of college and university career center operations. This year’s survey was refined with the help of a research advisory committee, consisting of both NACE employer and college members. The 2018-19 Career Services Benchmark Survey Report for Colleges and Universities will be available this fall.

Figure 1: Number of career fairs hosted with number of organizations and students in attendance, 2017-18 academic year