Job fair offers 'one-stop shopping'

The Princeton Review may have made IU notorious for being the No. 4 school where students (almost) never study, but Friday afternoon's job fair suggested that it might be because they are working.\nThe job fair drew 1,316 IU students in search of employment opportunities ranging from working with disabled students to working at Pizza Express.\nLou Ann Hanson, administrative systems manager at the Career Development Center, said about 85 percent of students who come to the fair get a job.\n"This is like one-stop shopping," Hanson said. "Employers can come and get over 1,000 students."\nSenior Ronnie Gemma said the fair allowed him to make great contacts for finding a job. Instead of having to go out to different places, the fair made it a lot easier, he said.\n"You know they're actually looking for people, so you're not wasting your time," he said.\nAs students gazed hungry-eyed at their prospective future employers, they got a chance to ask questions, pick up applications and relax at one of several student tables to fill them out.\n"I just realized that having a part-time job helps take care of extra expenses," junior Paula Covey said. \nCovey also looked at the fair's Web site prior to the event and e-mailed future employers to find out about the job so she could be more prepared.\nMost employers said they were simply handing out applications and answering questions and then making call-backs for interviews after the job fair.\nAmy Joslin, human resources director at Christole, Inc., which provides care for those with developmental disabilities, said they were selective and were only looking for four or five employees.\n"Because of the types of clients, we want people (who are) energetic, caring and in it for the right reasons and not just for the money," she said.\nKathleen Stedman, director of human resources for Wendy's of Bloomington, said she was hoping students would realize they had good jobs available, including customer service and management opportunities.\n"It's not just about flipping burgers," she said. "It's actually a very rewarding job. IU's fantastic. (You) get a broad pool of applicants."\nFreshman Ashley Kearney said unlike many of her peers who seek jobs for spending money, she will be using almost all of her earnings to pay for school.\n"(My parents) can't (help me), and I wouldn't expect them to," she said.\nSeeking to work 25 hours a week along with attending classes, Kearney said balancing the two would be a challenge.\n"You have to practice time management," she said. "I'm trying to figure out what'll work best with my schedule."\nA different job fair took place Friday morning to help students seeking work-study positions, Hanson said. \n"(Both job fairs) really help students get connections with employers," said Lilly Massa, graduate assistant at the Career Development Center. "I'm pretty sure it's a pretty effective service or else we wouldn't be doing it"