www.newrivervalley.com

Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times

Sandy Hobson (center), a senior at Virginia Tech and double major in International studies and Spanish, talks with prospective employers during the Roanoke-New River Valley Career and Lifestyle Fair at the Graduate Life center on the Tech campus.

BLACKSBURG -- Sandy Hobson brought out a secret, chocolatey weapon from her job search cache Tuesday.

The Virginia Tech student, who is double majoring in international studies and Spanish, shelled out miniature candy bars to prospective employers prowling her booth at the Roanoke/New River Valley Career and Lifestyles Fair on campus.

Hobson was one of nearly 150 students who signed up for the fair to hunt down a solid job. But at this expo, the roles were reversed.

The students worked to market themselves the way a company typically would. The job seekers handed out resumes like candy (along with the real thing) and created Web pages, computer presentations and slideshows all in an effort to promote themselves to the representatives of nearly 50 area companies that attended the first job fair of its kind at the school.

"We were looking for a creative alternative to the status quo that would put the focus on the student first, allow us to get more companies and their reps involved and create a buzz for the event," said Stuart Mease, an organizer of the fair.

Mease, who works with the city of Roanoke trying to bring young people to the region, worked with Big Lick U, a subsidiary of The Roanoke Times, and Virginia Tech's business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi to stage the event.

They set up a Facebook group plugging the event.

The fair, Mease said, was a good way to get younger people to recognize area businesses and cash in on the things they like. Hobson's approach, complete with self-promoting presentation, was perfect.

Hobson, who said she was skeptical of the switch in career fair protocol until a queue of companies formed at her booth, said it seemed to work well. She's traveling to Spain in two weeks for a study abroad experience but said several employers were impressed with her language skills.

"It's a lot more casual than I thought it would be," she said.

Tiffany Worstell, from Express Personnel Services, a staffing company, said that environment made the employee hunt more personal.

Hobson and other students said the change in procedure helped release some pressure, but for some employers, the mood was strange.

"It's easier at the other ones because we know what they want," said Shana Worsham, a representative from Wachovia who travels to fairs often.

Another goal of the fair was to showcase area businesses. Hobson said that was a big reason she registered.

Too often, she said, career fairs in the area bring big-name companies. She wants to stay local.

"I just like this area," she said.