Mohawk Valley residents looking for their next job do not have to be SUNY Poly students to attend the university’s fall career fair. The Oct. 29 expo, part of the SUNY Poly career fair, is open to the public, giving job seekers a chance to meet employers, ask about openings and get a closer look at the work behind a job title.

SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s Fall Career Fair Expo is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, from noon to 2 p.m. in the Wildcat Field House. The university’s Oct. 2 announcement welcomes people across experience levels and industries, including those exploring a new direction as well as those actively seeking employment at the SUNY Poly career fair.

A chance to see the work up close

Employers are encouraged to bring demonstrations, equipment and interactive displays, although those activities are optional. Attendees can ask about internships, externships and full-time positions. Career Services Director Jennifer Rubino describes the event in the announcement as a place for students, community members and employers to make useful connections.

That format can make a practical difference for someone weighing a career change: a demonstration creates an opening to ask what the work involves, which skills transfer from a previous job and what training an applicant would still need. An interesting booth is a starting point for those questions, not a promise of an interview or an offer.

What past SUNY Poly fairs show

SUNY Poly has an established record of bringing employers and job seekers together. Its Career Services employer page says the university holds a career fair each semester. Public records provide some specific measures of that activity:

• Fall 2023: Minutes of the Oct. 19, 2023, College Council meeting reported that a recent campus career fair drew 423 student participants and representatives from more than 90 local and regional employers. Those are participation figures, not a count of people hired.
• Spring 2025: Rome-based ANDRO Computational Solutions documented its participation in the March 20 fair. The company sent a SUNY Poly alumnus working as an engineer and a graduate-student intern, illustrating the connection between campus recruiting and local technical employers. Its recap did not give a fair-related hiring total.
• Fall 2025 and spring 2026: University listings document an Oct. 23, 2025, fair at the Wildcat Field House and an interactive public expo scheduled for Feb. 26, 2026. The hands-on approach advertised for this fall follows that spring format.

These records establish a history of participation. They do not establish how many employers will attend Oct. 29, and previous exhibitors should not be treated as confirmed participants in the upcoming expo.

Have earlier fairs led to opportunities?

There are documented individual examples, with important limits.

A December 2025 evaluation of SUNY Poly’s S-STEM scholarship program, prepared by Mullins Consulting, reported that one participant in a spring 2025 focus group said attending the career fair resulted in a summer research offer. The participant’s account also credited a Career Services email with connecting them to the research opportunity. The focus group included nine scholars; it was a program evaluation, not a survey of everyone who attended the fair.

A second example comes from a 2021 SUNY Poly alumni profile. Rasim Ikeljic, a 2015 graduate, said he first learned about the New York Power Authority at a SUNY Poly career fair. He later took an engineering job with a local systems integrator, developed his skills and eventually joined NYPA as an instrumentation and control technician. The fair helped introduce him to an employer, but his account does not describe an immediate hire at the event.

The public records reviewed for this story did not provide an overall placement rate or a verified total of hires attributable to the recent campus-wide fairs. A research offer, a longer-term career connection and strong turnout are useful evidence, but they measure different things. None supports a claim that attending guarantees employment.

Make the two-hour visit count

For someone planning to attend, a useful goal is to leave with specific next steps. SUNY Poly’s previous fair guidance emphasized researching employers and preparing a short introduction. A practical plan for this visit:

• Prepare a brief introduction. Explain the kind of work you want and one or two skills or experiences you can offer.
• Bring an updated resume. Keep a digital copy available in case a recruiter directs applicants to an online application.
• Ask about actual openings. Find out the job title, location, schedule, pay range, required qualifications and application deadline.
• Ask what happens next. Get the application link and a recruiter’s name, and find out whether a separate interview or assessment is required.
• Follow through. Keep notes after each conversation and submit the requested materials promptly.

People seeking attendee registration, parking or accessibility information can contact Career Services at careerservices@sunypoly.edu or 315-792-7165 before traveling.

Employer registration closes Oct. 27

Businesses and organizations still have time to participate. The official Career Services event page lists an Oct. 27, 2026, employer registration deadline, with fees of $150 for corporate and for-profit employers and $100 for nonprofits. Those are employer participation fees. Registration is through the Handshake link on that page; organizations needing help can contact Career Services.

Reporting note: Event details and historical records were checked Oct. 21, 2026. The illustrations accompanying this story are original AI-generated editorial artwork created for Utica Phoenix. They do not depict actual attendees, confirmed exhibitors or a photographed SUNY Poly event.