More than 175 employers came to the annual Spring Career and Internship Fair at the Kohl Center in hopes of recruiting students for post-graduation jobs Monday evening.

Employers ranged from insurance firms to retailers to alternatives such as AmeriCorps and the United States Navy.

Employers look for outgoing and friendly candidates at the fair, Allison Cohen, an executive team leader of guest experiences at Target, said. 

“We are looking for fast, fun and friendly team members,” Cohen said.

Cohen said Target desires candidates with leadership experience and those who have done their research on the company prior to presenting themselves at career fairs.

Sarah Sincock, a campus recruiter from Northwestern Mutual, said she wanted outgoing candidates. 

“[Northwestern is looking for students who are] outgoing, can build a relationship with a client, who are driven and have the entrepreneurial spirit,” Sincock said.

Employers specifically attend the University of Wisconsin’s career fair because they know they can count on having a qualified group of applicants who can fulfill their needs. Cohen is a May 2012 UW graduate and praised UW’s preparation of its students.

“Target especially likes UW,” Cohen said. “We like hard-working individuals with good work ethic, and that comes from students at UW.”

Cassie Noel, a UW senior graduating in May, decided to attend because she needed to line up a job after graduation. Since she has attended career fairs previously, she said her preparation was simple and mainly involved updating her resume.

Being a human resources and management major, Noel said she felt the career fair lacked a wide range of opportunities for her specific major. Still, she acknowledged the lack of a direct application to her major would encourage her to broaden her horizons.

Noel said she thought UW prepared her well for attending the career fair. Through her time at UW, Noel said she has gotten various internships to assist in her personal and professional development.

She said the clubs at UW have been beneficial to her preparation.

“UW has prepared me,” Noel said. “Clubs I have been in have brought in speakers from multiple companies.” 

Noel said getting involved in different clubs has helped her prepare and feel comfortable attending the fair. She also said they have helped her learn how to “pitch herself.”