Students search for jobs at fair

Jessaca Brandt dashed from class to beat the crowd to the Indiana Memorial Union in hopes of landing a job.

Eighty-four employers were on the hunt for recruits Wednesday at Alumni Hall for the Winter Career and Internship Fair, organized by the Career Development Center.

“I got here at 3:45,” Brandt said.

She was able to arrive 15 minutes earlier than most students because of her Hutton Honors College membership.

The first hour of the career fair was reserved for students in exclusive scholarship or academic programs.

“I did a lap at first and then worked up the courage to talk to several companies,” she said.

Brandt is a junior in the School of Journalism and specializes in public relations and advertising.

The California native has already had two internships and is looking for a third, hopefully located in Chicago. She spent the previous summers interning in New York and California.

The fair was crowded.

Confident, career-bound students — many of which had done their fair share of research — weaved between booths, stopping at carefully selected spots to discuss their futures.

Brandt said she spent a few hours compiling a list of companies she’s interested in and familiarized herself with those companies during the course of a few days.
One of those companies was Cook Medical.

With her résumé in hand, she approached the Cook booth. She shook the representative’s hand and they had a brief conversation.

The two exchanged her résumé for a business card. Brandt answered questions and got information about their internship opportunities.

“I think it went well,” she said afterward.

Brandt also spoke with Finishline, ASC communications, Dish and some insurance companies.

With each company she spoke to, she discussed opportunities in public relations, marketing and advertising.

“I already have one interview set up for tomorrow,” she said. “I have friends who are seniors who got their job through coming to a career fair.”

The CDC also stages a fall career fair as well as a part-time job fair and a summer job fair.

According to Wes Erwin, associate director for employee relations at the CDC, the fall career fair, which is usually larger than the fair in the winter, saw three to four thousand students and 134 employers.

Erwin said the goal for Wednesday’s fair was to reel in 2,000 to 2,500 students.
He said more students show up as more companies open their doors to younger students.

“A lot of internships are beginning to be open for sophomores,” Erwin said, “but it’s mostly juniors and seniors. A lot of full-time positions are happening today as well.”
The fair includes a wide array of companies, something Erwin says the CDC does with many various majors in mind.

Free professional headshots for a Linkedin profile are also offered at the fair.
“We kinda noticed that a lot of students were having trouble using Linkedin,” said Anne Rowland, a graduate advisor in the CDC.

To combat that problem, the CDC now offers free information on how to use Linkedin, as well as social media strategies and professionalism in general.

Matthew Davis, a sophomore majoring in math and economics in the College of Arts and Sciences, said he came largely to get a feel for what a career fair is like.

“I just wanted to get my foot in the door,” he said.

Davis isn’t looking for an internship this summer, but spent his time at the fair talking to insurance companies regardless.

“It’s been great so far,” he said. “I was told it was going to be awkward. I haven’t really experienced that.”