If you noticed students giving elevator pitches to mirrors and using a little more hair gel than usual lately, the spring Job and Internship Fair on Thursday may have had something to do with it.
The Smith Career Center pre-registration listed 172 employers, completely packing the Renaissance Coliseum and looking to recruit for the summer or to fill spots last minute for this spring.
According to Jon Neidy, the executive director of the Smith Career Center and assistant vice president for student affairs, this large number also meant opportunities for a variety of majors.
“I think it’s important to note that not all industries recruit students the same way,” Neidy said. “So while there are companies recruiting for all majors, and many companies are, if students are looking for a specific major, they may not find that major. Instead, they need to look for companies recruiting all majors, so that’s the language that we use.”
Some students felt a lot of companies were relevant to their studies. Students in more specific areas of study, however, felt they had more of a challenge.
“I’m studying both French and hospitality, and I feel like I was able to find a decent amount of jobs for hospitality, but there’s really not much here for the language studies,” junior Naomi Hegarty said.
Sophomore interactive media major Jammie Wunning said it was her first time visiting a job fair at Bradley, and found it a little disappointing.
“I didn’t find a lot of opportunity for interactive media. Sometimes my major is just hard to cater to,” Wunning said.
Employers, on the other hand, had very little trouble finding students they’re interested in hiring.
“I have a very positive relationship with Bradley students,” Marissa Rettig of Scribe America said. “I hire a good portion of my part time employees from this school. The kids here are very motivated.”
Neidy said this positive student reputation is what brings companies to the fair and keeps them coming back.
“I think the important thing to note about the companies coming to the fair is that unlike some of the web services that are out there, these companies specifically want to recruit Bradley students, they like the way our students think,” Neidy said.
The Smith Career Center offered several workshops and student led sessions dedicated to preparing students for the fair. Among these are Feedback Friday and the Job Fair Sneak Peak, which allowed students to mingle with employers setting up their booths the evening before the fair.
“[Feedback Friday] is designed sort of like speed dating,” Neidy said. “People bring in their resumes and employers look at them. In some ways, it’s like a soft job fair. They have the opportunity to meet employers in lower pressure environments, wearing jeans or even pajama bottoms if they’d like.”
Caleb Tackes of FHP Manufacturing said students who were able to portray themselves as relaxed and confident stood out to him most.
“When they come up to my booth and already have knowledge of the company, have good questions to ask, and seem eager to talk, that also makes them stand out,” Tackes said.
For students who missed the opportunity, there are only six more months until the changing leaves bring back another job fair in the fall.
