www.acquisitionacademy.va.gov
On March 3, 2015 from 12:00 to 3:00 pm, Saint Xavier University and Career Services will hold their semi annual Internship and Job Fair. Already, with over thirty organizations in attendance, the job fair is looking to be a great success. In an interview with Career Service’s Assistant Directors, Jodi Martin and Mary Fitzpatrick, they shared key information that students should know before attending.
In previous years, the Internship and Job Fair lacked the word “Internship,” and Martin expanded upon this change in title.“We noticed that we didn’t have high attendance rates from freshman, sophomore, and junior students. I don’t think they realized that it was an internship fair as well as a job fair, so we thought if we put the word in there, we’d attract more of these students,” said Martin.
Before organizations and companies show up on the day of the Internship and Job Fair, there is a lot of preparation to be done, and Fitzpatrick explains how they select organizations to come and how this overall process works.
“We send out an invite to over 500 organizations and that’s how they hear about it. Those who want to come will register online. Sometimes, by word of mouth, information gets out to other organizations, so they’ll contact us directly requesting a spot. We will pretty much allow all organizations in, as long as the positions that they are recruiting for require either a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree,” said Fitzpatrick.
On the day of the fair, it is important to remember to dress, speak, and approach employers professionally. A stack of resumes for distribution is also a part of the “must-haves” for the Internship and Job Fair.
“Students should be prepared to talk and network with potential employers and also be comfortable asking them about the different opportunities they have to offer. It’s also open to students who just want the experience of walking around and checking out what the employers are offering.
For freshmen who are not yet comfortable to actually approach employers, they might just come to get used to the atmosphere and the environment of the job fair. Those who are comfortable as freshmen, and of course, sophomore, junior, and senior students, should be approaching employers just to see what kind of opportunities they have available,” said Martin.
Before attending the fair, it is encouraged to check out the full list of employers at SXU’s website, using the keyword “job fair.”“What we like is for students to actually look at the employer’s websites, beforehand, so they are aware of the different opportunities that the employers are recruiting for. If they didn’t do their homework and prepare that, they can still approach the employer and see what they have to offer,” said Martin.
Both Martin and Fitzpatrick encourage all students to partake in volunteer services during their career, as it is a resume builder and helps a person learn and practice new skills. “Every student who walks through that door should be looking for job opportunities, whether it be in the form of full-time, part-time, internship, or even just a volunteer job. Last semester, there were quite a few organizations looking for students at the volunteer level, so any student could start getting that experience as early as freshman year,” said Martin.
For Fitzpatrick, there are many beneficial and satisfactory aspects of the Internship and Job Fair. She expressed her ideas about students who attend the fair and the level of professionalism they show to employers.
“I like to see the connections that are being made. Afterward, when we’re cleaning up and recruiters are packing up their stuff, we, as a staff, walk through the fair and ask employers how it went.,” Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick also commented on how many positive things that employers generally have to say about Saint Xavier University Students. “All the positive things that are said about our students is amazing. I remember after the fall fair, a recruiter at one organization went on and on about how prepared our students are and how well they did in the spot interviews, and that is just great to hear,” said Fitzpatrick.
If a student is unable to attend the Internship and Job Fair but would still like to gain a networking experience, Martin explained what a student can do to achieve this. “I would recommend that these students attend Career Service’s next big event coming up, which is our Networking Night on March 26 2015. This is not a type of night where students will get jobs, but it will be a night where they can engage in work with alumni, potential recruiters and potential employers,” said Martin.
All students are encouraged to attend this job fair. Many students are worried that they do not have a suit or fancy clothing to attend the fair, but this should not discourage anyone from attending.
Put on the outfit you would feel the most comfortable approaching employers in and head on out to the fair. Students at every level should attend the job fair, not only to seek out work, but to gain experience speaking with and connecting with different employers.
“This is a student’s opportunities to network. You’re meeting a bunch of different recruiters from a bunch of different organizations at one time and you have no idea what opportunities are going to open up for you in the future,” said Fitzpatrick.
These connections can last and expand into greeater opportunities for students who are looking for employment. “If you’re taking business cards, you can reach out to them in a month from now, or a year from now and just see what’s going on in that organization. So, not only is this an opportunity to get an internship or a full time job, but it’s this wonderful networking opportunity for all students,” said Fitzpatrick.
Julie Gardner
News Editor