The UNA Career Center and the Steele Center for Professional Selling teamed up to present a sales and marketing themed career fair to students Sept. 20.

“We’re always excited to expand opportunities for our students and help them launch their careers,” said Director of Career Services Melissa Medlin.

The university started hosting major-centric career fairs in the spring. They hope to continue to host them in the future, said Medlin.

“A student with any major is welcome to attend,” Medlin said. “There are opportunities for everybody.”

Timothy Butler, an assistant professor of marketing, also helped coordinate the event.

“We’re excited to see so many great companies on campus who are interested in students and so many students showing up,” Butler said.

The general feedback from the employers was that UNA had the “highest quality students with the highest level of professionalism that they’ve seen” at career fairs around the area, Butler said.

There were 15 total companies in attendance.

“The majority of companies here today are new to UNA,” Medlin said, “Dr. Butler really went out there and recruited a lot of employers who hadn’t been to UNA before.

The companies had opportunities for full-time employment, part-time employment and internships.

“We want to offer full time jobs for graduates, part time jobs for those who are still in school and internships for students who need experience,” Butler said.

The fair also had representatives looking to fill spots with internal jobs on UNA’s campus.

“We have internal, local and statewide opportunities, but most of these opportunities are in the shoals area,” Butler said.

Most positions offered centered around experience with sales, advertising or marketing.

“We’re expecting a great turn out today and we’re off to a great start,” said Karina Meza, president of the sales society on campus.

The number of students who registered and attended has not been calculated.

There were many companies with real career opportunities looking to hire students, she said.

“This event is very well organized and executed,” said Jasmine Sherwood, a recruitment coordinator at Northwestern Mutual, a financial advising company with offices around Alabama.

The career fair is oriented to help both employers and students achieve their goals, she said.

“We love meeting students and looking for our next potential intern,” said Catelyn Radeck, director of recruitment at Northwestern Mutual.

She had never been to UNA to recruit employees before today, she said.

The event was from noon to 3 p.m. in the Guillot University Center.

There was a steady stream of students into the career fair throughout the day, Medlin said.

“Our students look great, they’re professional, they’re prepared, and that’s what makes me happy from a career center perspective,” Medlin said.