As students wandered around Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union, trying to leave good impressions on Bloomington employers at IU's fall part-time jobs fair, Career Development Center staff offered up a piece of advice: “Make them remember you."
Career coaches from the center checked student IDs and pointed them towards booths of potential employers. Over 80 on- and off-campus employers took part in the fall jobs fair to offer students work-study and non-work-study positions.
The fair has been an annual event for over 40 years.
“The jobs fair has been here longer than me,” said career coach Rachel Gerber as she walked into the fair.
At 10 a.m., lines of students started flowing into the IMU in order to meet with different businesses. Students from all schools and majors explored options in and out of their field, from business and IT to science and arts.
Career coaches like Gerber were eager to answer any and all questions. They greeted students as they searched the list of employers, explaining the attributes of every one and making suggestions when students didn’t know where to turn.
Alumni Hall was crowded at every turn, with students searching for specific booths, wandering through the masses or huddling at the most popular businesses.
Switchyard Brewing Company set up its booth for the first time this fall, and they’ll most likely be back for more, said Kelsey Hacker, taproom manager at the brewing company.
“You get more reach and you see more serious candidates,” she said.
Carmen Shannon and Sean Yancey, with IU Telefund, had more experience with the jobs fair. IU Telefund, the alumni fundraising center of the IU Foundation, has been attending the fair for well over a decade now, Shannon said.
“It’s one of our biggest hiring times, you get a big influx of student employment,” Yancey said.
