The All Majors Career and Internship Fair is coming up at the end of this month. Career fairs are an excellent way to connect with recruiters in person and get a better feel for companies you are interested in while learning about additional companies in the industry you are pursuing. 

But Brandeis’ career fairs always seem to miss the mark. According to Handshake, this spring’s career fair is hosting 32 companies. Of these, 10 are nonprofit organizations, three are graduate school programs, including Brandeis’ International Business School, and four are in education. Six companies operate in business, finance or technology, while another six focus on government, international relations or politics. Two companies represent the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, and one is in retail. Alarmingly, roughly 75% of them are based in Massachusetts.

This editorial is not to undermine the participating companies and is not to dismiss the fact that some students may find the event helpful. This board, though, believes that the event needs major improvements. The industries and companies represented are extremely limited. 

For one, not all Brandeis students are looking to stay in Massachusetts following graduation — yes, there are many students who will pursue their paths in the Greater Boston area, but a vast number of students aim to build careers outside of both the local area and the state itself. Why is it, then, that the fair overwhelmingly features employers based in Massachusetts? It is the opinion of this Editorial Board that a career fair should reflect the ambitions of its student body and provide opportunities that extend beyond just the immediate region, introducing students to employers with national — or even global — reach. 

Furthermore, Brandeis students certainly pay a costly price for their education, and because of this, many are looking for careers that offer financial stability and growth. While nonprofit work is admirable and important, it is far from the only — or even the primary — career goal for a majority of students. The fair’s heavy emphasis on nonprofit and government jobs, while valuable for an applicable few, does not cater to the full spectrum of student interests, especially for those aiming to pursue lucrative fields like finance, consulting and technology. 

One of the biggest shortcomings of Brandeis’ career fair is the lack of industry diversity, evident after just a scan of the upcoming Hiatt Career Center events. Entire fields — such as entertainment, engineering, biotech, startups and creative arts — are either severely underrepresented or completely absent. For students interested in these industries, the fair offers little-to-no opportunity to make connections or learn about potential career paths. Unfortunate, but that’s where Hiatt should come in, right? Not exactly. Upon inspection of any standard field on their “Career Hub” page, many weaknesses become quickly apparent: most glaringly, the limited geographic scope. Each of the — only seven — featured career fields features a section titled  “Top industries posting entry level jobs (by volume)...”  — but only in the Northeast. This regional emphasis does not adequately serve students aiming for careers in other parts of the country or world, and further limits opportunities for those already underrepresented at the standard career fair. By prioritizing local placements over national and global prospects, Brandeis is only restricting the access of its students to competitive job markets and failing to provide equitable career support.  

While Hiatt does send out a periodic industry-tailored newsletter with job opportunities and resources, such as online events, there is more to be done. The virtual industry-specific career fairs in partnership with other schools are a great start, but the best thing about the all-major career fairs is that students can explore all industries at once and begin to form critical relationships with recruiters, which is mostly lost in a virtual career fair. A student studying English may not think to attend a business and tech specialized virtual fair, which could end up being a missed opportunity for that student. The in-person All Majors Career Fair is an ideal environment for students to consider careers that they had not thought of before — and that might end up being the perfect fit.  

The university should be pushing students to aim higher. Instead of limiting the professional opportunities they expose students to to local and nonprofit organizations, Brandeis should be encouraging students to step out of their comfort zone and take their education beyond the niche bubble of Massachusetts. Expanding the in-person All Major Career Fair to include a broader array of employers — especially those in competitive industries — would allow students to more successfully make meaningful connections and secure positions that align with their ambitions. 

In today’s job market, networking is a crucial skill. For many students, having the opportunity to speak directly with recruiters can be the deciding factor in if their application is considered or ignored. In industries such as consulting, finance and tech, it is no secret that companies prioritize schools they actively recruit from; if Brandeis continues neglecting to bring these employers to campus, students will continue to miss out on key networking and hiring opportunities — opportunities that their peers at other universities take for granted.

Brandeis prides itself on fostering students who are ambitious and world-changing; the career fair should undeniably reflect that ambition. If the university truly wants to support its students in securing meaningful and financially viable employment following graduation — if we are really meant to become the pillars of postgraduate success that Brandeis claims we will — it must do better. Expanding the fair’s industry representation, attracting employers beyond those who are Massachusetts-based and securing companies that recruit from other top schools would be a good place to start.