Impactful Encounters: Students and Employers Thrive at Isenberg Career Days

The Office of Career Success (OCS) at the Isenberg School of Management hosted the annual Isenberg Career Days this fall on September 29 and 30 at the Campus Center Auditorium, drawing more than 1,700 students across two days of networking, career exploration, and professional development. 

The Isenberg Career Days were supported by the generous support of sponsors. The 2025 Silver sponsors were ALKU and RSM, and the Bronze sponsors were Seaboard International Forest Products and Aldi. Sponsor contributions enhance the experience for both students and recruiters, while underscoring the importance of strong academic-industry partnerships.

This year’s event welcomed several new employers, including The Kraft Group, Natixis Investment Managers, Prudential Financial, and Hub International, expanding the breadth of career connections available to student attendees. More than 80 unique employers participated each day, offering a diverse range of opportunities across industries and majors.

Student Preparedness Shines

Throughout September, the OCS hosted online career fair readiness workshops via IConnect and shared prep tips on social media—the @IsenbergUMass account on Instagram featured advice from career coaches and student career peers as well as student success stories throughout the fall semester.  

Participating employers offered praise for the professionalism and preparedness of Isenberg students:

• “Overall, a successful event! We will definitely be reaching out to many students we met at this career fair.”
• “The students came prepared and professional. Very impressive!”
• “Your students are always well prepared, ready to ask questions, dressed professionally, and very well-spoken. We appreciate the opportunity to interact with them.”
• “We were very impressed with the students that we met. Everyone we spoke with, freshmen through seniors, was sincere, interested, professional, and appeared to have a great work ethic as illustrated by their work experience to date.”

Employers also noted that the event was a worthwhile investment of their time and expressed interest in returning next year.

Innovation and Engagement

 “We are thrilled about the success of Isenberg Career Days,” said Holly Lawrence, assistant dean of OCS. “We got a lot of positive feedback from both recruiters and students. Several recruiters told us our students were well-prepared and professional. A number of students said they had great conversations with the employers and were glad they came.”

The OCS team focused on helping students strategize their time at the fair. “We tried some new things, like offering an on-site coaching table to help students carefully plan their time at the fair,” Lawrence said. “We also got a few ideas for next year, but those are surprises!”

Additionally, the Office of Access, Collaboration, and Engagement for Success (ACES) hosted a Professional Wardrobe Closet pop-up to elevate students’ professional look or boost confidence before entering the fair.

Students and employers are encouraged to stay engaged through IConnect, Isenberg’s career platform, which offers ongoing opportunities to connect.

Employers interested in future campus engagement can reach out to the Office of Career Success at careersuccess@isenberg.umass.edu.

Watch how students prepared for the Career Days on Instagram.