Kent State University hosted its first-ever hospitality management job fair Monday, an event that featured 25 companies and an estimated 250 students.

Students handed out resumes from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Moulton Hall ballroom to employers looking for jobs from busboys to bartenders, as well as internships.

“It’s a great event,” said The Country Club representative Kayleigh Apel. “It’s a great opportunity to meet a lot of students and get some good candidates for [our] summer staff, especially ones who are focusing on what we do.”

KSU’s hospitality management program is the only four-year program of its kind in Ohio, so many employers jumped at the chance to attend.

“It’s fantastic,” Eric Leffler, representing the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Cleveland, said. “We got [the invitation] and really wanted to come down. It’s a great turnout [and there are] great vendors here. I found some great candidates.”

Nick Wheeler, senior business management major minoring in hospitality management, said the event was especially helpful because it had a distinguishing focus.

“I like it because it’s more specific for hospitality,” Wheeler said. “I went to [a job fair] last year where there were all different companies and only a few of them were hospitality ones. This one’s nice because it’s more geared towards [hospitality].”

Wheeler said he thinks even if students aren’t looking for a job or internship, the fair was a good experience for all.

“I don’t think it could hurt,” he said. “You’re networking to a certain extent and if you want to follow up with [employers] you can. It might take some work but you get to learn about the companies and the field in general.”

Contact Andrew Baker at [email protected].