High Point University students posed for professional headshots, met with recruiters from dozens of companies and received career advice from ABC News co-anchor Byron Pitts during HPU’s CareerFest on Oct. 3.

It was a full day of career development for students. They arrived at the Qubein Arena and Conference Center dressed in professional attire, looking to network with employers and land full-time positions and internships.

“There’s a lot of good employers here and a lot of potential for getting internships,” said Nick Marino, a sophomore majoring in hospitality management. “And for me, that’s something I really want, particularly for this summer. I think getting a jump on it early would be really good for my career moving forward.”

HPU students connected with representatives from more than 100 companies and organizations, including the Volvo Group, Fidelity Investments and the largest Coca-Cola bottler in the U.S., during a session of the CareerFest known as the Career Expo.

Chris Coulter, who graduated from HPU in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, returned to campus as a recruiter with the Volvo Group. He said he was interested in speaking with students about jobs and internships with the large vehicle manufacturer, which has a headquarters located not far from HPU in Greensboro.

“In a candidate, the most important thing is drive and ambition, self-motivated and accountability,” Coulter said. “If you have that, that’s going to help you succeed in any of the roles available.”

Just around the corner from where the Career Expo was being held, students stood in line to get a free headshot taken for their LinkedIn profiles.

As she waited her turn, Jayden McLean, a junior majoring in criminal justice, admitted she was looking forward to getting a new headshot. She then planned to head into the conference center and meet with agencies about an internship in criminal justice. 

“I was excited for today,” McLean said.

The day began with Pitts, who serves as HPU’s Journalist in Residence, speaking to an audience inside Congdon Hall about his career trajectory and how he left a dream job because he felt the culture there did not suit him.

Pitts also told a story about advocating for a recent HPU journalism student to be an intern at ABC News. He said the student ended up making such an impression during his internship that he is now “the bar by which every intern at ABC News is measured.”

“The young people I mentor, I say, ‘I can give you a lot. I can’t give you ambition. I can’t give you work ethic,’” Pitts said. “So I talk to young people about certainly being well-read and up-to-date on whatever the latest technology is in your profession. But make sure your soft skills are strong, that you have a strong work ethic, that you’re reliable, that you’re a team player and that you have a high emotional intelligence.”

Five alumni from across the country also returned to campus for CareerFest to hold mentorship sessions with students. They work at NBCUniversal, Morgan Stanley and other leading organizations. 

Hayley Bolding, who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in strategic communication from HPU, serves as a senior coordinator for global outreach and awards administration with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She said an internship she had while at HPU helped give her the hands-on experience needed to land her job.

“I had a little entertainment experience under my belt already, which helped,” Bolding said. “So when I was able to reach out to people, I felt pretty confident in what I had to offer them.”