The Penn State Marketing Association (PSMA) held its first Marketing Career Fair at Smeal College of Business on Thursday.

"It's been something that marketing majors have wanted for a while," said Melissa Schipke, president of PSMA.

The event was made possible with the help of Career and Corporate Services and the Smeal Marketing Department, Schipke added.

The goal of the career fair was to provide opportunities specifically for marketing students, she said.

Because the big career fairs can be overwhelming, a major, specific fair is more beneficial, she said.

"You have more one-on-one time, and it's not so loud and crazy," said Alissa Ott (junior-marketing).

Ott is looking for an internship that would help her obtain a full-time job in the future.

"[It] would give me a better knowledge base and experience," she said.

Thirteen companies were represented at the fair, Schipke said.

Five of the companies represented were among Business Week's "Best Places to Launch a Career," Schipke said.

"We want to show these companies that it's worth while to come to Penn State to recruit marketing majors," Schipke said.

PSMA did a great job of preparing students for the event, Jay Mosser (senior- marketing) said.

The organization held an information session on Tuesday to explain what each company was looking, he said.

The session also explained to students how to act during the interview, he said.

"PSMA has promoted this highly to pretty much all marketing classes," he said.

Students found the career fair helpful in being hired for internships and jobs.

"Everybody's been really helpful and informative," Mosser said. " I'm hoping to hear from more companies today or next week."

Others came for the experience.

"I'm looking to get as much information as possible from the companies so that next year, when I'm a junior, I can get an internship," Sarah Brown (sophomore-marketing) said.

Frito-Lay, Inc. came to the fair to find students who are graduating and looking for a full-time job, said Jessica Guffey, a representative from the company.

Frito-Lay is primarily recruiting for its job management training program, a year-long program in the sales organization, Guffey said .

"Within a year they are managing eight to 15 people and $5 to $10 million worth of sales," she said.

Penn State offers so many ways to get involved and has a great business school, Guffey said.

"We come to Penn State because the quality of students is great," she said.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car has been involved with PSMA for at least the past five years, said Bobby Angelo, a representative from the company.

Enterprise is looking for outgoing, goal-oriented, driven students for entry-level management training positions and internships, Angelo said.

"We will hire as many qualified candidates as there are," he said.