Lafayette College students will meet with prospective employers seeking to fill full-time positions and internships during Career Services’ fall Job Fair from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, in Marquis Hall on campus.
Representatives from companies and other organizations in the business, engineering, science, technical, finance, banking, insurance, nonprofit, government, and other fields will attend, such as Air Products, Andersen Consulting, Ernst & Young, the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, KidsPeace, Maser Consulting, MBNA America, Proctor & Gamble, the Peace Corps, and the U.S. Marine Corps.
“The Job Fair gives students the chance to learn about several different employers and the available career paths,” says Lori Kennedy, director of career services. “As students interact with various employers, they will either confirm that they are pursuing the right field/employers, or they will discover a new company or function they had not considered! As students expose themselves to several organizations, they will begin to differentiate between what they do and don’t want in a position.”
Liberal arts students should not be discouraged that some of their areas are not represented at Job Fairs, she notes.
“Job Fairs do attract corporate/engineering companies because these employers can project their hiring needs and tend to hire large numbers of students during the traditional October-to-December recruiting season,” adds Kennedy. “Students interested in other areas such as nonprofit, advertising, public relations, entertainment, etc. should meet with their Gateway advisor to learn how to target these employers directly. These environments tend to hire on an ‘as-needed’ basis and hire small amounts of students all year long. This hiring dynamic results in a different way of recruiting.”
The Job Fair gives students a chance to speak with a large number of companies in a short time. Career Services provides a complete list of Job Fair participants a week in advance to help students research companies and plan which ones to speak with. Students also can learn more about companies through their web sites, many of which include employment information. Career Services recommends that students use background gleaned from the Internet to show recruiters that they have a real interest in their company.
Besides the Job Fair, there are many other career-development opportunities available for Lafayette students. Career Services and academic departments provide numerous networking opportunities. Students interested in fields not represented in the Job Fair can take advantage of programs such as AlumNet, a searchable database of alumni willing to give informational interviews; networking “field trips;” special-interest panel discussions; and more. For more information, call Career Services, (610) 330-5115, or visit its web site.