Career & Internship Fairs provide excellent opportunities to meet prospective employers, explore career opportunities and industries, and enhance your networking skills.
Fall 2026 Career and Internship Fair
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: Marshall Hall
Open to all rats and cadets. Before the fair, participants are encouraged to:
- Schedule a session with Career Services to discover resources for resumes, interviews, and more.
- Log into Big Interview and explore virtual assistance with interview and resume prep.
- Update their Handshake account and resume.
- View all employers on Handshake currently registered to attend.
Before your next Career Fair…
- Get your resume in good shape! Set an appointment with our team or attend a group session to have your resume reviewed and receive feedback on creating an individualized, concise, and in-depth resume.
- Update your Handshake profile for employers to review and attach your resume. Be sure to review the Completing your Profile in Handshake resource for best practices.
- Research employers that will be present at the Career & Internship Fair on Handshake. Make a list of employers that you might be interested in meeting with. Keep an open mind! Make sure to print enough resumes for everyone on your list, plus a few extras.
If you have any issues, please email careerservices@vmi.edu for assistance.
Internships
Summer internships are a great option for Cadets seeking professional experience. Internships come in variety of forms such as fully remote/hybrid/full in-person, 4 week / 8 week / 10 week durations, hourly/stipend pay, with/without housing options. Our hope is that alumni and a wide variety of employers will offer gratifying and educational opportunities for VMI Cadets. We are now posting internship opportunities on Handshake.
Employers can also share about internship opportunities at Career & Internship Fairs, through our social media channels, and through tabling with our Workforce Wednesday series. We event offer on-site interviews in our On-Campus (On-Post) spaces. Reach out to Maj. Natalie Slone at slonenb@vmi.edu for more details regarding internship recruitment.
Connecting with VMI and Recruiting
VMI provides undergraduate baccalaureate degrees in 14 majors. VMI’s rigorous education includes a broad, four-year core curriculum with undergraduate programs in engineering, science, liberal arts, and social sciences within a physically challenging and constantly demanding environment. Please find more detailed information below on our programs to connect with cadets and our standards of ethics in the recruitment process. Contact Career Services with questions.
The VMI Office of Career Services connects industry partners with talented, career-ready cadets seeking internships and full-time entry level jobs. We work to build lasting relationships that meet your recruiting needs and develop industry leaders.
VMI’s employer relations program offers flexible options—whether you’d like to host information sessions, conduct on-campus interviews, or create a customized recruiting schedule tailored to your organization’s goals.
Interested in scheduling to host a recruiting table on Post, reserve a room for on-Post interviews, host an information session in our Office of Career Services, or connect with cadet organizations? You can schedule these events by reaching out to Maj. Natalie Slone at slonenb@vmi.edu or 540-464-7734.
Handshake
All VMI cadets have a Handshake account from their first semester through one year post-graduation. Employers are strongly encouraged to share relevant job and internship postings through Handshake for increased visibility and engagement with our students.
Employer Engagement Opportunities
We are fortunate to have strong employer interest in recruiting at VMI.
Due to the high demand, it is not feasible to accommodate every request. To ensure fairness and equitable access to our cadets, we are implementing a tiered structure beginning Spring 2026. This approach will enhance access and provide a more balanced recruiting experience for all stakeholders.
Our strategy for employer engagement involves a tiered structure of resources that support recruiting efforts. Employers can access higher tiers through increased hiring of VMI graduates and increased summer internship opportunities for VMI cadets. This engagement is measured through frequency and quality of engagement with cadets on post, frequency of shared job and internship postings through Handshake or directly with our office, and First Destination Survey hiring data.
Opportunity Guide
You may also download a printable version of the Opportunity Guide
|
ENGAGEMENT SERVICES |
AUG |
SEP |
OCT |
NOV |
DEC |
JAN |
FEB |
MAR |
APR |
MAY |
JUN |
JUL |
|
Career Fair (Guaranteed Annual Spot) |
✓ |
✓ |
||||||||||
|
Company Feature In Monthly Cadet Newsletter |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
||||
|
Guest Lectures/Student Club Visits |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|||
|
OCS Workshop Participation |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
||||||
|
Twice Annual Recruiting Assessment Meetings |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
ENGAGEMENT SERVICES |
AUG |
SEP |
OCT |
NOV |
DEC |
JAN |
FEB |
MAR |
APR |
MAY |
JUN |
JUL |
|
Spring/Fall FTX Employer Staff Rides (Site Visits) |
✓ |
✓ |
||||||||||
|
Career Fair |
✓ |
✓ |
||||||||||
|
On-campus Interviews |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
||||
|
Workforce Wednesdays (early access) |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
||||
|
Information Sessions (in-person or virtual) |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
||||
|
Annual Recruiting Assessment Meetings |
✓ |
✓ |
|
ENGAGEMENT SERVICES |
AUG |
SEP |
OCT |
NOV |
DEC |
JAN |
FEB |
MAR |
APR |
MAY |
JUN |
JUL |
|
Monthly Virtual Drop-In Meeting |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Feature on Campus TV Screens |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
|
Employer Newsletter – Direct |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|||||||||
|
Career Fair (Discounted new employer reg.) |
✓ |
✓ |
||||||||||
|
Career Fair Networking Dinner |
✓ |
✓ |
||||||||||
|
Workforce Wednesdays |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
ENGAGEMENT SERVICES |
AUG |
SEP |
OCT |
NOV |
DEC |
JAN |
FEB |
MAR |
APR |
MAY |
JUN |
JUL |
|
Handshake Job/Internship Postings |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Weekly Internship Emails to Academic Departments |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|||
|
Virtual Multi-institutional information sessions |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Employer Newsletter through Handshake |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
| ENGAGEMENT SERVICES | MONTHS AVAILABLE |
|---|---|
| Career Fair (Guaranteed Annual Spot) | OCT, MAR |
| Company Feature In Monthly Cadet Newsletter | SEP, OCT, NOV, DEC, FEB, MAR, APR, MAY |
| Guest Lectures/Student Club Visits | AUG, SEP, OCT, NOV, DEC, FEB, MAR, APR, MAY |
| OCS Workshop Participation | SEP, OCT, NOV, FEB, MAR, APR |
| Twice Annual Recruiting Assessment Meetings | OCT, NOV, MAY, JUN |
| ENGAGEMENT SERVICES | MONTHS AVAILABLE |
|---|---|
| Spring/Fall FTX Employer Staff Rides (Site Visits) | OCT, MAR |
| Career Fair | OCT, MAR |
| On-campus Interviews | AUG, SEP, OCT, NOV, DEC, FEB, MAR, APR, MAY |
| Workforce Wednesdays (early access) | AUG, SEP, OCT, NOV, DEC, FEB, MAR, APR, MAY |
| Information Sessions (in-person or virtual) | AUG, SEP, OCT, NOV, DEC, FEB, MAR, APR, MAY |
| Annual Recruiting Assessment Meetings | MAY, JUN |
| ENGAGEMENT SERVICES | MONTHS AVAILABLE |
|---|---|
| Monthly Virtual Drop-In Meeting | ALL |
| Feature on Campus TV Screens | SEP, OCT, NOV, DEC, FEB, MAR, APR, MAY, JUN, JUL |
| Employer Newsletter – Direct | OCT, JAN, APR |
| Career Fair (Discounted new employer reg.) | OCT, APR |
| Career Fair Networking Dinner | OCT, APR |
| Workforce Wednesdays | SEP, OCT, NOV, DEC, FEB, MAR, APR, MAY |
| ENGAGEMENT SERVICES | MONTHS AVAILABLE |
|---|---|
| Handshake Job/Internship Postings | ALL |
| Weekly Internship Emails to Academic Departments | AUG, SEP, OCT, NOV, DEC, FEB, MAR, APR, MAY |
| Virtual Multi-institutional information sessions | ALL |
| Employer Newsletter through Handshake | OCT, JAN, APR |
Questions? We’re Here to Help
Connect with Career Services
Email: careerservices@vmi.edu
Phone: (540) 464-7560
Career Services
311 Carroll Hall