University students will be able to submit resumes and talk to over 200 companies at this year’s Business Career Fair Tuesday and Wednesday.

This year’s fair will be from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Illini Union in rooms A, B, C, the South Lounge, and 314 A and B.

Two hundred and five companies from around the country will be at the fair, giving students multiple opportunities to meet companies and broaden their career possibilities. These companies will accept resumes and provide internship, co-op and job opportunities.

“It’s a phenomenal opportunity for students to express opinions towards companies and gather information regarding employment prospects with various internships and positions,” said Lois Meerdink, assistant dean with Business Career Services. “Employers are hiring people, not resumes. This is crucial for students to distinguish themselves as an individual. Employers are looking for the extra step. Just submitting a resume on a job bank won’t do in most cases.”

Business Career Services stresses the importance of attending a career fair like this and not simply submitting a resume.

“The career fair is definitely important,” said Matthew D. Nuese, a career advisor at Business Career Services. “The companies make decisions on who to interview based on who they meet. Really, where the importance of the career fair is at is putting a face with your resume.”

Students should also be checking the dates pertaining to respective companies and their availability.

“Our companies can only come one day, unlike with the Engineering Expo,” Nuese said. “Students should check to see which companies are coming and when.”

Meerdink said that the fair is open to all University students, not merely upperclassmen in the College of Business.

“All students should go, if interested,” Meerdink said. “Fall semester is the heaviest recruiting period. Many companies do not even need to come back. If students don’t go, they might be shutting their door on opportunities. Students looking for internships should express interests. We are even encouraging freshmen to do some exploring. One of the freshmen I talked to last year really had fun and got a lot of good contacts.”

Nuese said that in addition to simply creating a resume, students should also be ready to make an impression.

“You always have to have strong analytical skills,” Nuese said. “Leadership is important for solving problems and working in groups. Teamwork is a big one. Students should also be able to analyze where their weak points are so they can counter them.”

The number of companies attending this year has increased from the 154 companies that attended last year.

“The terrorist attack and recession affected a lot of companies,” Nuese said. “This is the most companies attending in recent years.”

Gleb Zarkh, sophomore in business, thinks this is a great opportunity to gain experience and to find out more.

“It’s a good event because it gives you a good opportunity to check multiple companies out and get a broad scope of the field,” Zarkh said.