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Students are invited to test the waters of the workforce Sept. 20 at the Career Fair hosted by Career Services from 4:30- 8 p.m. in the Bergathon Room of Marquis Hall.
According to Nanette Cooley, assistant director of employer relations at Career Services, this year’s fair will have one of the largest employer turnouts in recent years with 63 firms in attendance. This is due in large part to the College’s increased recruitment efforts over the last few years.
Employers represent the whole gamut of fields and include Accenture, Air Products and Chemicals, Bayer Diagnostics, Disney, Exxon Mobil, GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, Johnson and Johnson, Teach for America, and Verizon. A full list of employers can be found on the Career Services web site. Recruiters from these firms will talk with students about internship and job opportunities available in their fields.
Last year’s fair had 350 students participate and Cooley believes the types of employers are diverse enough to attract that amount once again.
Approximately 50 alumni are also involved with the fair as employer representatives and volunteers.
“[The alumni] like to support Lafayette,” Cooley says. “They have had a positive experience here and would like to reach out to current students to increase awareness of opportunities in the workforce.”
The fair kicks off the year for Career Services’ on-campus recruiting program. Many of the employers will return in October for student interviews stemming from contacts made at the fair and through other career services recruiting events.
Cooley says students attending the fair should dress appropriately in business formal attire. They should bring numerous copies of their resume and a portfolio if possible. They should also be prepared to collect business cards, take notes, and follow up after the event.
Career services will be available before the fair to help with resumes, prepare one minute introduction pitches, and formulate a plan for the next step. There are two upcoming events focusing on getting the most out the fair.
The “Working the Room at the Career Fair” workshop will be presented at 12:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15 in Marlo Room West, Farinon College Center. There will also be a “Resume Riot” 12:15- 1 p.m. and 4:30-6 p.m. Sept. 18 at Career Services. Students can drop in without an appointment and work on their resume with a staff member.
“We go over the kinds of things students need to do to promote themselves to employers,” Cooley says. “Not everyone has the same self promotional skills, so we are here to help them.”
Career Services provides numerous programs focusing on student employment and graduate study. These include professional advising, career search tools, internships and externships, job fairs, workshops, mock interviews, and resume and cover letter writing services. The office is located in room 201 Hogg Hall. For more information on any of these events or programs, call ext. 5115.