This year’s Fall Career and Graduate School Fair gave 267 students the chance to network with potential employers and universities.
Each semester, Polar Careers hosts these networking opportunities to “give students the resources and connections that they need to set up a career.”
Polar Careers offers several programs that allow students to take advantage of all the opportunities these fairs provide. There are specific sessions, including “Career Fair Success Strategies” and “30 Second Self-Introductions,” which would pertain directly to the fairs. The department also have classes on “Strategic Application for Grad/Professional School,” “Resume and Cover Letter Writing” and “Behavioral Based Interviewing” that apply to networking events but also career planning in general.
Junior computer science major Corey McLaughlin spoke on his experience at the career fair, “People were a lot friendlier than I expected. I was expecting them to be formal and really hard to talk to. But they were very friendly and welcoming and helpful for things that I didn’t know about at the time.”
90 students took advantage of Communication and Marketing’s offering professional photos at the fair. These photos can be used for professional networking sites, such as LinkedIn.
172 organizations were represented at the fair by 274 recruiters. 56 of the recruiters were ONU alumni. These groups pay to be at the career fairs to find quality candidates for internships, co-ops and full time positions. The educational institutions present, including Purdue University, Otterbein University and The Ohio State University, look for quality students to admit into their graduate programs.
Senior Polar Careers Specialist Anne Niese stated, “Many jobs are obtained by our students as a result of our fairs. Recruiters emphasize how well-run ONU Career & Grad School Fairs are and that they look forward to hiring ONU students because they are the brightest and the best!”
18 of the present organizations held interviews in the afternoon for a total of 64 students, some receiving more than one interview. The majority of employers prefer to conduct interviews at their facilities.
Interim Director of Polar Careers Justin F. Courtney stated that he is “proud of the effort that staff and students are able to put forth together.” Courtney also went on to express how important these events are for students to get exposed to more of the professional world.