'Significant amount of time'
spent on career fair prep
Jessica Frizen / News Editor
With resumes and portfolios in tow, Elon University seniors
met with career and graduate school representatives last
Thursday in Alumni Gym. They walked from table to table
looking for the right job, internship or career opportunity.
The representatives behind those tables stood with smiles and
poster displays looking for the right students.
It was the annual Elon Career and Graduate School Fair, and
although it took much time and effort to put up the 95 tables
and 190 balloons, Jim Allison, associate director of the Elon
Career Center, said it's never too early to look ahead.
"We've spent a significant amount of hours
recruiting and putting this all together," he said, as
he carried a sign and the sandbags to hold it down to the
front of the gym entrance. "We've already started
planning for next year."
If students missed the event this year, Allison suggests
they still participate in the Transition Tactics program on
May 17. It's a full day conference with sessions like
dressing to impress, networking and an etiquette luncheon to
prepare students for the real world and help them improve
their job-searching skills. The last day to sign up is
tomorrow, March 10.
Next year, Transition Tactics and the Career and Graduate
School Fair, as well as an internship fair, are going to be
part of a "career week," according to Allison. The
career fair is held every spring, but next year the career
week will be in February.
Allison said these career fairs offer job opportunities that
Elon students, especially juniors and seniors, should take
advantage of.
"A lot of these folks are here because they want to
hire Elon people,"
he said. "We've had 30 to 40 recruiters call within
the past two weeks alone who wanted to come and talk to
students, and they're offering part time, full time,
internships, careers, you name it."
Girl Scout Program Director Carrie Myers said she recruited
at the Elon career fair last week because all her camp's
counseling staff are college-aged students. She said she and
her staff participate in these career fairs frequently to
find counselors, lifeguards, adventure staff and wranglers
for the all-girls summer camp, as well as some weekend jobs.
"Elon is about 45 minutes from the camp site," she
said. "We've had a few staff from Elon before.
We try to hit local colleges because we have a lot to offer
them."
Some of the other employers at the event included police
departments, the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps, Walt
Disney World College Programs and a number of summer camps
like Seagull, Falling Creek and Thunderbird. Some of the
graduate schools present included Towson State University,
High Point University and Appalachian State University, as
well as some law schools.
According to Allison, some of the recruiters may not say
"come work for us," but with about 20 out of 130
recruiters being alumni this year, the career fair is also a
good networking opportunity.
But some students simply go to find a job for after they
graduate.
"I wanted to ease myself into finding a good
job," senior Chelsea Wilkinson said.
The Elon Career Center gives tips before the Career Fair to
help students successfully meet with employers. To prepare
for next year's fair, students should prepare their
resumes, arrive early to show interest and enthusiasm and
develop at least three questions for the employers.
Students who went to the Career Fair entered to win a door
prize after filling out an evaluation sheet. Door prizes
included a free iPod, the first season DVD of
"Lost," a Banana Republic gift certificate and a
Regis Hair Salon free makeover.
Contact Jessica Frizen at pendulum@elon.edu or
278-7247.
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Jessica Frizen / Photographer
About 20 out of 130 recruiters were Elon alumni at the
career fair, Allison said.
Jessica Frizen / Photographer
Alan Woodlief, a representative of Elon's new law
school, talks to senior Leslie Price about admission
requirements.
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