“A healthy dose of curiosity,” is one of several aspects employers look for in prospective interns said Herbert Jones, Intern Programs Manager at the Museum of Fine Arts.

Jones, with over thirty-five other representatives from various organizations, gave similar advice to students at the Simmons University Career and Internship Fair on Wednesday March, 27.

Although employers look for a range of qualities such as adaptability and eagerness to learn, most agreed that communication is vital.

“Primarily, we’re looking for somebody who’s open to learning new skills […] just an open and communicative person with an upbeat personality,” said Ellen Graham, Assistant Director of Graduate Studies at the New England Center for Children.

Jones seconded that saying “excellent communication skills; being able to communicate well with peers, with employees, bosses, with the public,” was key.

The networking event was held in the Linda K. Paresky Center. A broad spectrum of agencies were at the fair, including representatives from the Boston Ballet, Goodwill Industries, W.B. Mason Company, Aspire Health Alliance and more.

Meketa Insurance employees, Sarah Spotts and Caroline Randall, said students attending the event had a leg-up in the job market.

“We don’t advertise for interns, our only source of getting interns is through career fairs” they said.

This was great news for students Irene Nguyen and Michelle Balcarcel, who attended the event in search of jobs geared towards their majors.

“I’m going to be a junior next year, so I just want to explore what’s out there and how to start my career,” said Exercise Science major, Sana Vegamiya.

While several employee representatives said a general knowledge of their companies was a plus, they also said interns didn’t need to be experts.

“You don’t necessarily need to have tons of experience going into an internship,” said Randall. “If you have an interest in the field and you’re able to reflect that in an interview, that’s definitely huge.”

Spotts said interns should try to diversify themselves as much as possible.

“It’s definitely part personality and part skills,” said Spotts. “We look for the whole person you know we’re not just looking for binary categories.”

Aside from receiving helpful advice and plenty of networking, students were able to pick up swag from tables and even had the opportunity to get free head shots taken for professional profiles.

Students who missed the Spring Career and Internship Fair should check out the Simmons Career Education Center website for a list of upcoming events around campus.

The next employee recruitment event at the Linda K. Paresky Center will be the Library and Information Science Career Networking Fair on April 17th.