BYU’s First Biotech Career Fair Spurs Student Networking

The College of Life Sciences held a biotechnology career fair with the BYU Chapter of BioHive Utah, drawing one of the largest crowds in the Career and Experiential Learning Center’s history. The fourth-floor hallways were filled with students vying for recruiters’ attention in the hopes of landing a job at some of Utah’s fastest-growing biotech firms.

The event’s goal was to help students understand all the potential career paths available in biotechnology and network with professionals. Organized in just four weeks, the student-run club attracted dozens of companies to take part in the fair. The event comes as Utah is a biotech industry hub with over one thousand life sciences companies and firms.

A students who submitted anonymous feedback appreciated the specialized, biology focus of the fair. “This was a lot more targeted to the life sciences,” they shared. “There were a lot more opportunities that I was interested in. The recruiters were very knowledgeable and they had all of their postings ready to go.”

Recruiters from the various biotech firms were shocked at how prepared BYU students were for their opportunities. One recruiter with Wabash Biolabs remarked that she was “impressed with how many students have come with so much vast experience and knowledge. They know what they want!”

Another recruiter from Recursion shared that she was “very excited at the passion and the energy that these students had. I know that a year ago, when I joined Recursion, I didn’t know what [the company] was. I was surprised by how many students knew us and sought us out!

BYU’s BioHive chapter has also held a number of networking events and company visits since the fair. If you are a student looking to connect with biotechnology firms, get involved in BioHive at their chapter website.