George Mason University Fall Career Fair
250+ employers and 1,000 students a day at Mason, ten minutes from Tysons.
4400 University Dr, Fairfax, VA 22030
What this event is
Mason's three-day university-wide fair runs September 29 to October 1 with more than 250 employers filling full-time, part-time and internship roles. It draws more than 1,000 students each day and is open to Mason undergraduates and graduate students.
Roles you will actually see
Who should go
Mason CS, IT and engineering students who want face time with Northern Virginia employers, including the big government contractors and the local commercial tech shops.
Mason's fair is heavy on federal contractors, so you will see a lot of booths that quietly require citizenship or a clearance. Ask that question in the first thirty seconds and move on if the answer is yes. Hunt for the commercial names: Capital One, Amazon, Freddie Mac and the fintech and SaaS companies along the Dulles corridor are the realistic sponsorship paths. Check the employer list on Handshake the night before and walk a planned route instead of wandering.
Show up prepared
- 1Filter the Handshake employer list by 'accepts OPT/CPT' and build a top-10 list
- 2Bring 15 printed resumes and a 20-second pitch tuned to each target
- 3Ask every booth 'do you sponsor H-1B?' before you spend more than a minute
Sponsorship reality
Sponsorship varies by employer. No organizer publishes sponsorship. Check each employer you plan to meet against H-1B disclosure data before you go, and ask in the first two minutes so neither side wastes the conversation.
Showing up is half of it.
The other half is being first to the roles these employers post, and having something real to show when you get there.
See roles the minute they go live, tailor one resume per employer, and reach the hiring manager directly. Walk into the event as a follow-up, not a stranger.
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