Spring Job and Career Fair: Event Provides Job Hunting Techniques and Wide Variety of Employers for Students

The CSUDH Spring Job and Career Fair for students will be held on Thursday, March 2, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Extended Education Complex. More than 70 companies and public agencies with full-time career positions, part-time jobs and internships will be in attendance, including Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG, owners and operators of the Home Depot Center, the Staples Center, and other venues); CBS; Northrup Grumman; and the California Highway Patrol.

According to Larry Gray, director of Student Development, this is the largest selection of employers in the 10 year history of the event. Two new components to the Fair are on-the-spot resume critiques and Campus Interview Preparation, a workshop which is mandatory for participation in the On-Campus Interview Program that will be taking place at the Fair. The CSUDH Alumni Association, the Office of Alumni Relations, and the College of Business Administration and Public Policy Internship Program will also be in attendance.

The Job and Career Fair is presented by Student Development; the Loker Student Union; and the Division of Student Affairs.  
 
AEG and Enterprise Rent-A-Car are corporate partners for the event. Joining them are Corporate Friends: The Automobile Club of Southern California; FedEx Ground/FedEx Home Delivery; Kinecta Federal Credit Union; and U.S. Army Healthcare Professionals. Corporate Sponsors are CBS; UPN; Hertz Local Edition; Mercury Insurance Group; Northrop Grumman Mission Systems; Robert Half International Inc.;and Walgreen’s.

Gray offers these guidelines for getting the most out of a job fair, saying, “At any job fair, walking around presenting yourself to potential employers can seem intimidating. Follow our suggestions, and hopefully you can be more comfortable with utilizing this resource.”

1. Do your homework.
Take time to familiarize yourself with the employers so that you'll be able to ask intelligent, well-thought-out questions at the job fair. You may want to write down the questions and practice them so that you are comfortable asking them. You can also practice answering questions you think the employer might ask you.

2. Chart your course.
If your time is short, select the employers you're most interested in learning more about and visit them first. The Fair will be set up in an open house format so that you may talk to the recruiters of your choice.

3. Explore all options.
Talk with as many recruiters as you can who might be interested in your major, experience, skills and accomplishments. Keep an open mind! A high technology company doesn't hire only computer science majors. It may have openings in accounting, personnel, sales, and management. Likewise, a department store or bank may be hiring computer majors.

4. First impressions count.
Confidence rates high with recruiters, cockiness does not.  Sell yourself by stressing your skills, strengths and interests.  Be enthusiastic and courteous.  Come dressed in business attire if at all possible.  Whatever you wear, be sure it's neat, clean and not outrageous.

5. Be realistic in your expectations.
Don't expect an on-the-spot job offer.  At the Fair you will be "micro-interviewing" for a short time with each recruiter.  If there is mutual interest, they'll contact you for a follow-up interview.

6. Ask plenty of questions.
Use each discussion with a recruiter as an opportunity to increase your knowledge of the company and its job options; the qualities and skills the recruiter is looking for in a job candidate; advancement and promotion paths available; and the company's training program.

7. Bring several copies of your resume.
A resume is an advertisement about you. Keep it short in length. Honesty, appearance, and organization are what employers look for. Cover the basics of education, skills, and work experience. Typos and strikeouts are unacceptable. If you're not sure of your resume, make an appointment with a counselor in the Student Development Office for a resume review or drop it off in the office for critiquing. You can pick it up on the next work day.

8. Follow-up with a 'thank-you' letter.
If a recruiter has been particularly helpful, don't overlook the courtesy of a "thank you" letter.  It's a good way to jog the recruiter's memory of you and reiterate your interest in the company.  If you weren't able to get a business card with name and address, check with the staff in the Student Development Office.
  
For a complete list of participants and open positions, visit http://www.csudh.edu/studev/JobFairPart06.html.

For more information on the Office of Student Development, visit http://www.csudh.edu/studev.

-Joanie Harmon