With the end of the semester rapidly approaching, students, especially juniors and seniors, have begun to frantically search for employment in earnest. With juniors searching for summer internships and seniors searching for jobs post-graduation, this can be an especially stressful time for upperclassmen. Fortunately, the Career & Internship Fair exists to help these students in their hunt for jobs.

This semester, the fair will be held on Feb. 28 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Leslie C. Quick Jr. Recreation Complex.

The Career Fair is an opportunity for students and employers to connect.

Computer science major Khalefa Stevens ‘21 commented, “All majors rely on connections, but especially majors for business or sciences. I think we need to go to the career fair to see what the field is actually like and what kind of employees they want so you can build on that in college.”

Associate Director of Career Services Stephanie Gallo also commented on the Career Fair. “Before going to the Career Fair, students should visit the list of companies going, do research on the companies that they want to visit, and prepare an elevator pitch: a quick minute and a half introduction of themselves,” Gallo advised. “We have resources at the Career Center to assist with that, and we have some upcoming workshops to prepare for the Career Fair.”

The first of these workshops, “Preparing for the Career & Internship Fair,” was held on Feb. 20 in the Barone Campus Center 200 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. This workshop assisted students with “what to wear, what to bring, how to network, strategies to utilize, as well as making a positive first impression,” according to OrgSync. The other workshop, “College of Arts & Sciences: Résumés and Career Fair Prep,” will be held on Feb. 22 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Kelley Center Presentation Room. This workshop prepares students for the same topics as the other workshop, according to OrgSync.

Gallo also emphasized that the Career Center will be taking walk-in appointments all day on Tuesday, Feb. 27 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. for assistance with preparing résumés and elevator pitches.

According to Gallo, over 90 employers will be in attendance at the fair. This is very close to the same amount as at last year’s spring Career Fair; however, there were five more companies present last year. A complete list of the employers coming to the fair can be found on OrgSync.  Gallo emphasized that students who tend to not come to the Career Fair, such as students in the College of Arts and Sciences, may be interested in some of the employers that will be present at the Career Fair. These employers include Epsilon, Fox News, HamletHub, Indeed, Inspira Marketing, Hooplaha, Serendipity Magazine, Judicial Branch of Conn., Subway, Vineyard Vines, Ability Beyond, and various nonprofit organizations.

“It’s a nice mix for someone in the business school, someone in engineering, or someone in arts and sciences,” said Gallo. “Our goal is to have something for everybody.”

Gallo also emphasized the importance of doing research on employers before talking to them. She suggested checking the employer’s website and checking their Stags4Hire profile or career page to see if they have any positions posted. Students should also remember to take employer’s business cards after speaking with them.

When asked if the Career Fair benefits students of all majors equally, Gallo responded in the affirmative.

“I think it also takes research,” Gallo continued. “If a student doesn’t do research, they won’t see that they can be hired by companies that they might not initially consider. For example, finance companies hire communications majors all the time.”

Communications major Erica Christiansen ‘20, however, did not agree with this sentiment.

“I think it was mostly finance and accounting,” she said of the opportunities at the fair last year.

“They should reach out to a broader range of companies looking for certain kinds of interns beyond the business school,” Christiansen added.

When asked if she found Academic & Career Development Center helpful in preparing for the fair, Christiansen vehemently agreed.

“I think I got more out of going to the career office than going to the Career Fair,” she said.

Gallo, however, countered that, “We’ve been getting more companies interested in communications people but if communications students don’t show up, those companies might not come back.”

“I can’t think of any student that it wouldn’t make sense to come,” Gallo added. “We have a lot of companies coming that would hire students of all majors. I would argue that the Career Fair is beneficial to all students. Even if there aren’t any companies you’re interested in at the Career Fair, it’s still a good opportunity to network and to practice talking about yourself to employers.”

Students will also have an opportunity to take headshots for their LinkedIn profiles at the Career Fair.

Gallo said, “College is a time for exploring opportunities, and the Career Fair is a great opportunity to talk to companies you might not have known you were interested in.”

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-- Junior | Co-News Editor -- English: Education

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