On September 24th, more than 100 companies came together virtually to attend the 2020 Finance, Accounting & Real Estate Career Fair. Due to COVID-19 and the ongoing pandemic, the Real Estate Club was not able to host an in-person career fair this year. However, with the help of many students, staff and industry professionals, the career fair was still a success via virtual Handshake meetings.
Students were given the opportunity to sign up for group sessions with companies, which included detailed presentations about the company and large Q&A sessions. Students also had the opportunity to sign up for 1-on-1 sessions with a company representative. The 1-on-1 sessions were 10 minutes long and allowed students the chance to introduce themselves and engage in more personal dialogue regarding the company, any positions available, and more in-depth conversation.
The virtual event took place occurred from 3-7 PM CT, which allowed students ample time to express their interests and share their experiences with companies with hopes for future internship or full-time positions. With the current limitations on in-person gatherings and the need for virtual collaboration, it was important to garner a large turnout for the single day event. This was one of the key reasons to combine the Real Estate Career Fair with two other majors – Accounting and Finance. With three majors being displayed in one career fair, it allowed for a larger sample size of both companies and students. It was a great success, as many companies have roles that fit the experience of all three majors and many double-major students were able to explore more opportunities than in previous years.
The ability to execute the virtual career fair would not have been possible without the dedicated individuals that facilitated the fair. Fair Coordinators Evan Gorder and Alexander Guindon from the Real Estate Club commented on the overall experience. “Hosting a career fair virtually was uncharted territory for the Real Estate Club,” said Gorder. As a team, they embraced new responsibilities by “helping to market employers, inform students of the intricacies of the virtual format, and even coordinate info sessions during the week of the fair.”
As a result of the virtual career fair, the Real Estate Club has learned a great deal about the effectiveness of the event as a whole. Alex Guindon detailed the findings, stating the club has “received positive feedback from employers and students regarding the virtual experience, and found both positive aspects and methods for improvement for future Real Estate Career Fairs.”
Jake Celeste, a senior majoring in Real Estate, agreed, “the virtual one-on-one sessions proved to be extremely beneficial in asking specific questions to the company reps about their own unique experiences.” While nobody envisioned the career fair to be virtual, the Real Estate Club did a phenomenal job replicating the fundamental qualities of the typical in-person event.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison and its students would like to thank all parties involved that made this event possible. As Gorder stated, “The Real Estate Club was fortunate to have key partners, including Handshake and the BBA career office, that helped to create a successful environment.” The real estate program has relentlessly supplied its students with tools for success over the years, and has continued to do so in leu of the pandemic.
A full list of companies that attended the event is below:
| 3M |
| Abercrombie & Fitch (New Albany, OH) |
| ALDI Inc. |
| Alidade Capital, LLC |
| Altus Group |
| American Family Insurance – Enterprise |
| American Foods Group, LLC |
| Ameriprise Financial |
| Baird |
| Baker Tilly |
| Bath & Body Works |
| BDO USA LLP |
| Black Creek Group |
| Cargill |
| Cohen & Company |
| Continental Properties Company, Inc. |
| Crow Holdings |
| CUNA Mutual Group |
| Dell Technologies |
| Deloitte |
| DivcoWest |
| DLC Management Corp. |
| Dominium |
| Duff & Phelps LLC |
| Equitable Advisors |
| Ernst & Young LLP (EY) |
| FactSet Research Systems, Inc. |
| Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago |
| First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. |
| FIS |
| Gavilon |
| GE |
| General Mills |
| Goosehead Insurance |
| Grainger |
| Greater Des Moines Partnership |
| GreenStone Farm Credit Services |
| Greystar |
| Greystone & Co., Inc. |
| HealthScape Advisors |
| Hines |
| JLL |
| Johnson Block & Company, Inc. |
| Johnson Controls |
| Johnsonville Sausage, LLC |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. |
| Keeley Companies |
| Kemper |
| KeyBank |
| Kimberly-Clark |
| Kohl’s Corporation |
| Kohler Company |
| KPMG LLP |
| LaSalle Investment Management (a div of JLL) |
| Lionstone Investments |
| Magnolia Capital |
| ManpowerGroup |
| Medline Industries, Inc. |
| Molson Coors Beverage Company |
| Mowery & Schoenfeld |
| Nielsen |
| NISA Investment Advisors, LLC |
| NorthMarq |
| Northwestern Mutual – Corporate Office |
| Northwestern Mutual – The Kosnick Financial Group |
| ORBA |
| Orix Real Estate Capital Holdings, LLC |
| Passage Global Capital Management |
| Plante Moran |
| PNC Financial Services |
| Polaris Inc. |
| Procter & Gamble (P&G) |
| Quicken Loans |
| Reilly, Penner & Benton, LLP |
| Reinsurance Group of America |
| Revantage & Blackstone Real Estate Portfolio Companies |
| Rialto Capital |
| Rockwell Automation |
| Ryan Companies US, Inc. |
| S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. |
| Sentry |
| Sikich LLP |
| SVA | A Professional Services Company |
| TCF National Bank |
| TDS Inc. |
| TDS Telecommunications LLC |
| The X Company |
| Third Coast Advisors |
| Thomson Reuters |
| Thrivent |
| U.S. Bank |
| U.S. Venture, Inc |
| Uline |
| UnitedHealth Group |
| University of Wisconsin – Madison |
| USAA Real Estate |
| UW Credit Union |
| UW-Madison Virtual Support Team |
| Walgreens |
| Wegner CPAs |
| Wells Fargo |
| Wipfli Financial |
| Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau |
| WPS Health Solutions |
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