Retail & Design Career Fair held today at IMU

In the fashion industry, one day you’re in and the next, you’re out – at least according to supermodel, fashion designer and television producer Heidi Klum.

Short of becoming a contestant on “Project Runway,” however, breaking into the retail, design and fashion industries might not be as easy as Klum makes it sound.

But students can take advantage of an opportunity to obtain internships and full-time positions in these industries at the first Retail & Design Career Fair hosted by the Career Development Center, which will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday in Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union.

At the fair, students can speak with recruiters from companies, mostly large retail organizations, that are hiring for internships and entry-level positions in research, design, manufacturing, visual merchandising and retail sales and management.

With at least 28 companies sending representatives, the new career fair is one of the largest opportunities students will find on campus to network with potential future employers of this kind, said Doug Hanvey, coordinator of the fair and assistant director of the Career Development Center.

Among the companies registered to attend are Macy’s, Inc., Kohl’s Department Stores, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Dick’s Sporting Goods, American Eagle Outfitters, Coach and Firestone Complete Auto Care.

Sara Pennington-Busick, associate director of employer relations for the Career Development Center, said the Retail & Design Career Fair was created in response to a strong demand from students and large retail employers who had success recruiting at IU in the past.

“I’m going mainly to network and look into getting an internship for this summer,” said junior Brittany Beasley, an apparel merchandising major. “It’s always a good idea to listen to what successful people in your industry have to say.”

All students can benefit from the networking opportunities of the Retail & Design Career Fair, Pennington-Busick said.

“This is an opportunity that can be beneficial to students at every stage of their four years at IU,” she said. “For instance, a freshman may attend to learn about these employers, to network or maybe just to get a couple business cards for employers that they would like to seek out for internships or full-time positions at a later time.”

Recruiters, Pennington-Busick said, will consider a student’s initiative, experience in and outside the classroom, transferable skills developed in one situation that would be marketable in another and how well he or she would fit into the culture of the organization.

“Even though it is specifically called the Retail & Design Fair, it is open to all majors,” Pennington-Busick said. “What you’ll find is that if you have the desire to work for these companies, they are looking more at the fit and the skills than the major, and that is a refreshing thing that most students don’t realize.”

Many of the recruiters will stay on campus after the Fair on Thursday and Friday to conduct first-round interviews for the positions.

For more information about the companies scheduled to attend and the positions for which they are hiring, students can visit IUCareers.com and log in to MyIUCareers, which is the Career Development Center’s recruitment system.