UI Career Center to host Career Fair Wednesday
The Career Center’s biannual Career Fair is a resource not just for current students, but for alumni, too, according to Eric Anderson, University of Idaho manager of career advising and professional development.
“We try to get our students and alumni to connect with employers as much as we can,” Anderson said. “The employers are coming because they want to recruit University of Idaho students.”
Twice a year, the UI Career Center hosts a fair where employers can mingle with students and talk about career, job and internship opportunities. The Career Fair will be held from 2-6 p.m. Wednesday on the second floor of the Bruce Pitman Center, formerly known as the Student Union Building.
John Mangiantini, manager for employer relations and communications, is responsible for running the fair each year. He said the event is an opportunity for networking, and strongly encourages students of any age and education level to attend.
“It’s an opportunity for underclassmen to come and network,” Mangiantini said.
Many of the companies attending the fair have representatives who are UI alumni, Mangiantini said. They come back looking for qualified graduates like themselves.
Anderson said he recommends students do their research about some of the employers before attending the event. He said the more a student knows about a company they are interested in, the more likely the company will take notice of them and possibly communicate with them in the future. He said students should conduct thorough research of their preferred companies before attending the fair.
Mangiantini said although students should know a little about the companies, there are others ways to prepare for the event. Professional dress is expected, he said, and bringing a stack of resumes and questions for each company is highly recommended.
Another suggestion he made is for students to bring business cards with their name, major, year in school and college information. Mangiantini said companies often reach out to select students they find interesting and professional at the fair.
Mangiantini said it is highly recommended students ask what it would be like to work for any given company so they can get a feel for what it would be like at a time of future employment. Other questions are welcome as well, preferably research based, to give students an adequate chance to engage with recruiters.
Mangiantini said every UI student should go, regardless of major and year in school.
Freshmen and sophomores can seek out many internship opportunities, and often make connections that last until they graduate. Junior and seniors can seriously look at near-future employment opportunities and even unemployed alumni are encouraged to come back and seek employment at the Career Fair.
A good comparison for students who are unsure about attending the fair, Mangiantini said, is college fairs most high schools host to prepare their juniors and seniors for college. There are booths set up for each company, and while this fair is more formal than a traditional college fair, it is still a similar setup and the students may gain information from the representatives.
Katrina Hicks can be reached at [email protected]