As February approaches every year, Whitman students can usually be found printing out copies of resumes, practicing interview skills in the mirror and even selecting a not-too-wrinkled outfit to impress representatives at the college’s annual Career and Internship Fair. This year, though, students have one less reason to obsess about these job hunting rituals: the fair has gone virtual.

The Career and Internship Fair, organized by the Student Engagement Center, is an annual event designed to introduce students to off-campus employers. The fair offers Whitman students and recent graduates alike the opportunity to find summer employment, a summer internship or a potential career. This year, the fair will feature employment opportunities with Campus Point: Seattle/Puget Sound, Environment America and others as well as internships from groups such as American University and The Philadelphia Center.

Though the purpose of the Career and Internship Fair has not changed, its venue has drastically. This year, the Student Engagement Center pilots the Virtual Career and Internship Fair for the entire month of February.

The virtual fair is a collaborate effort by Susan Buchanan, director of the Student Engagement Center, and Ali Barlow, assistant director, to address declining numbers of participating organizations and businesses in Whitman’s career fair. Though other college solutions to the on-campus recruiting problem were not investigated, both Barlow and Buchanan knew something needed to be done.

“The number of attendees were down, so we were willing to try something new,” said Barlow, explaining that the state of the economy has significantly impacted the success of traditional career fairs. “Budgets are down. Fewer companies and organizations could come; it wouldn’t be economical: this has led to a decrease in on-campus recruiting.”

Barlow further explains why a virtual career fair is an effective and desirable alternative for Whitman students.

“Technology is improving. Students are increasingly online. That’s where things are going,” Barlow said. “Students weren’t coming to in-person fairs; students are extremely busy and going virtual is more  accessible.”

The Virtual Career and Internship Fair will also benefit employers interested in recruiting Whitman students.

“Students like it to get jobs; organizations would like to target Whitman students,” said Barlow. “It also it costs businesses much less and is less of a time investment for them.”

But has the virtual fair increased the number of internship and business participants for Whitman students?

“Not many more, but an improvement,” said Barlow, adding that the fair has already attracted an employer due to its new format. “[The] state of Alaska can participate now it’s virtual; they were unable to before.”

The future of the Virtual Career and Internship fair is not set in stone. Barlow explains that after this month’s virtual fair comes to a close, the Student Engagement Center will consider if the new format works for Whitman students, if students enjoy it and if the virtual fair will provide students with jobs and internships.

“We may go back [to a traditional format] if the economy bounces back,” she said.

The virtual fair also provides information on creating effective resumes and successful interview techniques for students.

The Virtual Career and Internship Fair launch party was held Monday, Feb. 8th, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in Reid 110 and is hosted via the CLEo online workspace system. Instructions for sign-up are located at the following Web site: http://www.whitman.edu/content/career_center/employers/career-and-internship-fair.