Job fairs to offer students
information, opportunities
 By
Laura Pelner
Campus Editor
In the next three weeks, there will be more than
320 companies on campus looking for future interns or employees.
"I think it's a strategic timing (for job and internship
fairs) between the beginning of the semester and spring break," said
Jim Megathlin, the assistant director for the Center for Career Opportunities.
"Job fairs can be a valuable way of connecting
with employers for exploring job possibilities and gathering career
information," said Megathlin.
He said the most important part of a job fair is
the preparation that comes before it. "(Preparation includes) learning
what employers will be at the fair and who those employers wish to see."
Megathlin also said that students need to examine
their career interests and do research about the employers they want
to visit so they have a basis for showing how their skills can fit what
the employer wants.
"I think a major thing for students is to look
at the connection between what their skills are and what they like to
do, (compared to) what the organization does," said Megathlin.
One way to learn about a company is to check its
Web sites, added Megathlin.
The Center for Career Opportunities has a strategy
it teaches students to help them talk to perspective employers. It's
called the 60-second commercial method.
"It's a way of introducing oneself to an employer
and getting a conversation started," said Megathlin. "(It involves)
introducing yourself to the employer, telling them something brief about
you, like your major and interests, and then connecting that with what
you have learned about them."
Students can also learn about using job fairs effectively
by watching a video in the career center, which is located in Stewart
Center, room 194.
"It helps students develop confidence to prepare,"
said Megathlin.
The first of this month's job fairs, the School
of Technology fair, begins Wednesday morning. Trina Westfall, the career
placement coordinator for the department of organizational leadership,
said this is the school's first fair.
Westfall said the fair is open to students of all
majors. "There's a diverse group of companies involved in this job fair.
I believe there is a total of 110 companies attending," said Westfall.
Students should not try to speak to all 110 companies,
though, said Megathlin. "No one person would want to talk to 100 people.
They would want to narrow that down to a meaningful number. You can't
just go in and wander," said Megathlin.
Another fair, the Purdue Engineering Student Council's
Internship Expo, on Feb. 12, will feature more than 75 companies, said
Ben Eick, a sophomore in the Schools of Engineering and the Intern Expo
coordinator.
"It's mostly for engineering students, but our
guide (to the companies) shows some companies looking for people in
food science, chemistry and physics, some of the technologies and management,"
said Eick. "It's mostly engineering but most majors can find something."
The Management Spring Job Fair, on Feb. 19, will
have about 60 employers, said Cory Canady, a senior in the School of
Management and a chairperson for the fair committee.
Canady said professional dress is required for
this fair.
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