Everyone from trucking company Main-freight to biscuit manufacturer Cookie Time was there, while brewer Lion Nathan was promising "a fridge full of futures".
Hundreds of university students visited a recent careers fair at the University of Otago.
One display by the Department of Corrections included a $1200 electronic monitoring unit used for community detention.
Aoraki Polytechnic head of school Andrew Walne said the fair was a valuable opportunity for employers and education providers to discuss career options with students.
"It's a tough world and jobs are hard to get. A lot of people get their degree and then wonder what they're going to do," he said.
"It's great to have academic skills, but ... we give people work skills. By gaining vocational skills on top of a degree it makes someone a very attractive employment prospect," Mr Walne said. "People need work-ready skills.
Employers just don't have time to train people these days and they want people to have work skills from day one."
