Career Fair timely aid for students during tight job market

Career Fair timely aid for students during tight job market

Michael Dalton, director of the Career Planning Center at Fairfield University, says he would understand if some students are becoming frustrated with the tight job market. To help students in their job search, the Center has several initiatives in place to connect students with potential employers.

On Thursday, Feb. 6 from noon to 3 p.m., the Center is sponsoring a Career Fair where students will have access to nearly 90 potential employers from Connecticut and New York. And while many represent specific fields, such as business and healthcare, a surprising number are interested in students from all majors.

Dennis Amrine, associate director of the Career Planning Center, said the fair is drawing better than 10 more employers from last year. "I am pleased and encouraged by the responses we had this year. We are almost back to the numbers we had when the economy was good, so I hope this means job prospects for this class are improving."

Mr. Dalton says that representatives from UBS Warburg, one of the participating employers, was on campus this week and were interested in students from all majors. "Here we had a major financial services firm," Dalton noted, "and they are more interested in skills and competences than any particular major. That's what I am finding with most firms."

Even among the 20 hospitals and healthcare agencies expected at the fair, there are positions in customer service and accounting, he noted, so he encourages students to be open to a range of possible employment opportunities.

In addition, about a half dozen non-profit agencies, including the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and the Peace Corps, will be on hand. This year, in addition to the 85 employers, graduate schools have been invited to attend.

While encouraging all majors to participate in the fair, the Career Planning Center advises students to prep for the fair by researching the firms they are interested in.

Many firms from the fair return to campus to conduct individual interviews. Students have access to the Career Center's recruiting schedule and can submit their resumes via the Internet. There is also provision for employers to post job openings on the university's website.

Some of the organizations who will be at the fair include: American Express, Bank of New York, Boehringer Engelheim, Deloitte & Touche, Hewitt Associates, General Electric, Ingersoll-Rand Company, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Merrill Lynch, The Pepsi Bottling Group, Pitney Bowes, Purdue Pharma, Unilever and Yale New Haven Hospital.

Some 600 students are expected at the fair, including sophomores and juniors who want to get a head start on the process or seek out summer internships.

Posted On: 01-31-2003 09:01 AM

Volume: 35 Number: 185