Students wearing suits and business skirts filtered into Southwest Recreation Center alongside peers in tank tops and running shorts Tuesday morning.
The UF Career Showcase, held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., was relocated to Southwest Rec this Fall due to renovations at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The event invites students and alumni to interview with companies for jobs and internships.
Heather White, the director of UF’s Career Resource Center, said the center spent last year planning and collaborating with RecSports and the O’Connell Center’s staff to make the move a success.
“After so many years of a UF tradition being held at one place, one venue, that’s a big change,” she said. The event will return to the O’Connell Center in the Spring.
For Randy Shiver, an employer, the new venue felt smaller.
“I’m worried about people being able to get to the tables and having time to talk to them,” the Harris Corporation project engineer said.
To make sure all students could speak with them, Harris Corporation set up an information session after the showcase.
Roxanne Williams, 21, said she was slightly intimidated by the students dressed for the showcase. But when the UF applied physiology and kinesiology senior walked into the gym, she was relieved to see the event was well organized, she said.
“They actually did execute it very well, and it could’ve been a lot worse than it actually was,” she said.