SLO Film Fest: Visiting the ‘Career Fair’

This is one of seven stories in KCPR’s Short Cuts series, highlighting the Cal Poly student films debuting in the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival.

The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival will host its annual Shortcuts event on Monday, a collection of eight short films written, directed, shot and edited by students. 

One of the featured shorts, “Career Fair,” follows the painfully accurate reality of networking in 2026. In a world dominated by endless LinkedIn posts, social climbing and corporate psychological warfare, the film is a refreshing reminder that maybe some things don’t need to be taken that seriously.

The plot centers on two college-age students competing for the presidency of a club. Set against the backdrop of a party, the students attempt to sabotage and one-up each other for the position. 

“Career Fair” was written and directed by communications senior Ryan Quisol. As a first-time screenwriter, he was shocked to hear that his film would be one of six selected for the festival.

“I’m really new to this whole film thing,” he said. “When we finished editing it, when I watched the final cut, I was like, oh s—.” 

Without a traditional background in film, Quisol drew on his own experiences and the experiences of those around him to bring the characters to life. With the plot focusing on competitive extracurriculars, Quisol found his time in other clubs to be critical when developing the script.

“Last year I was actually like a co-president of the Filipino Club,” he said. “I knew I wanted that to be the inspiration because I knew how to write about it.”

With the help of three other crewmates, production began. 

“The heart of ‘Career Fair’ is supposed to be stupid, like taking things too seriously that really aren’t that deep,” Quisol said. “Some of the lines in ‘Career Fair’ are very satirical or just poking fun at how superficial it is.”

While the film dissects the endless competition of an unrelenting job market, “Career Fair” also helped Quisol find his place as a student at Cal Poly. 

“I came to this school, which is ‘Learn By Doing, and I feel like this is the first time I really learned by doing,” he said. “I feel like I’m part of the larger mission.”
“Career Fair” will be featured in the Shortcuts lineup on April 27. To get tickets for the film, visit slofilmfest.org.