Career Services held its largest annual Spring Career Day in history with 110 employers in attendance. Students from all majors came to the event to learn about different businesses and organizations, and to explore possible internship and job opportunities on Wednesday, April 2.
The event, which took place in the Multipurpose Activity Center (MAC) for the second year in a row, brings in local, regional, and national employers to campus for a day and, according to the University website, “employers representing the corporate, government, and non-profit sectors are always present.”
William Hill, Assistant Dean of Career Services, said, the event has been expanding throughout the years with more students and businesses getting involved. “The last two career days attracted over 400 students and alumni. Four or five years ago that number might have been around 250 to 300, an increase of over 25 percent,” he said.
In addition, Hill said, “Career Services has broken records three years in a row based on the employer attendance at the Spring Career Days.”
The University hosted a wide range of employers such as Fitness and Wellness Professional Services, a community health and well-being organization, Robert Half, a staffing firm, Target, a retail store, and many more. Some organizations, such as the U.S. State Department and the Eatontown Police Department, were not necessarily looking for interns or to hire employees, but rather to educate students on position requirements and general information.
Devereux NJ, a social and human services non-profit organization, was present at the event in hopes of finding part-time and full-time workers. Ali Marciano, the Human Resources Generalist at the company, said she would love to fill their open employment roles with University students. “I’ve gotten quite a few great candidates, here,” she said.
Hill said both the students and organizations benefit from this event. Employers are able to gain access to a large number of talented candidates and receive the opportunity to showcase their businesses at a reasonable cost, Hill explained. Students, on the other hand, “can use the event for their career development by asking employers, for example, about how their major fits in with a particular job or career. That is one reason why we encourage all students, from freshmen on through to graduate students, to participate,” he added.
Nicholas Garcia, a junior communication major, attended the event to find an internship in his field that would fulfill credit requirements. “I got an interview on April 7 with Townsquare Media in Toms River,” Garcia said. “I told them that I have been an on-air radio personality for over a year and that I would love to work for them. I also told them that one of my good friends works for you and they knew who he was, which made for more conversation and eventually led to the interview.”
According to townsquaremedia.com, the company “is a diversified media, entertainment and digital marketing company that owns and operates market leading radio, digital and live event properties across the US.”
Lupita Yonker, assistant director and counselor for the Educational Opportunity Fund program, commented on the students’ appearance. “The students that I saw were dressed in suit/tie or in a professional manner. I was impressed with the number of students with their resumes in portfolios,” she explained. “I could distinguish the difference between a soon to be graduate and a person just walking around. The soon to be graduate had an ‘excited’ look about them while the person just walking around seemed more at ease. Either way, the opportunity to network grows every year and that is great for our students.”
Jeffrey Mass, Career Counselor and Job Developer for Career Services, said to reach different organizations about the Career Day event, he sends out email notifications to organizations who have participated in our past career fairs, conducts telephone and LinkedIn outreaches, collaborates with faculty, staff, and the Alumni Association, and maintains monthly visits to employer sites as well as employer meetings on campus to promote our services.
Vanessa Campo, a University alumnus, worked at the event handing out information packets and surveys. She said, “Career day provides students with more opportunities. It is important to attend career days to network with different companies. It is also a great place to get internships and find jobs… I had a couple of students stop by after and tell me it was great.”
Mass also offered tips to students attending the event. He said using the list of employers that are posted in advance on the University website will prepare students with what employers to speak to at the event. “Put time and effort into planning your elevator pitch,” Mass explained, “first impressions still go a long way, so make sure to start off with a firm handshake, maintain good eye contact, and dress appropriately for the occasion.”
At the event, students and faculty also had the opportunity to receive free, professional LinkedIn profile headshot photographs. “Students and alumni need to start thinking about building a professional online presence,” said Mass. “Including a photo into your LinkedIn profile will help you make the right impression and increase the number of people who view your profile. We had well over 175 students participate in this free service.”
Garcia said he enjoyed the event and met many different businesses such as Public Relations firms and small businesses. “I would absolutely go again because I would like to know what people who are successful have to offer to young students dreaming about making an impact on life, and I think this could open many doors for many [students].”
Hill is looking to expand the event further, by offering more businesses to the students in the MAC. “One of the good things about the MAC is the large space available to us. We could easily add twenty or thirty more employers to the event on the second floor track without running out of space. We hope to add even more employers to future events,” Hill said.
PHOTO COURTESY of Jim Reme