Can everyone find a career at the Career Fair? Not according to junior Brittany Coleman, who went to the University’s most recent Internship and Job Career Fair held in the Athletic Complex last week. The Career Fair has often left liberal arts students frustrated at the lack of choices.
“[The Career Fair] was extremely limited, and it was discouraging,” said Coleman, a political science major who was looking for legal internships. “I got some cool free stuff and some e-mails from companies, but it was pretty much a waste of time.”
Although many of the jobs and internships offered were open to all students, the majority focused on business and engineering, with a few design and journalism companies mixed in.
So how does the Career Center actually choose companies for their biannual job fair?
Julie Turner, the team leader for Employee Relations at the Career Center, explained that choosing employers is a two-step process. A prospect list of companies is made based on geographical areas that interest students and types of employers who have a high volume of entry level positions. Meanwhile, the diversity of the selection is kept in mind.
The second step is to give all other employers who post jobs or internships on the Career Center Webs ite an opportunity to participate in the fair.
“We often sign those who have staff allocated towards career fairs. Some [employers] do not like career fairs, or the geography or time of year may not work,” added Turner.
In general, the companies at the fall fair have more finance, banking, and consulting firms, whereas the fair in the spring semester fills more diverse needs.
The Career Services Center at Rice University has a somewhat similar process when it comes to choosing employers for their career fairs.
“We don’t necessarily choose the employers. We send out emails to companies who have recruited with us throughout the past few years,” said Jasmine Foster, the recruiting coordinator at Rice.
A number of these companies end up being investment banking and engineering employers, which, of course, do not satisfy the needs of every student.
“We try our best to make it as diverse as possible. Some students may not feel that way, but we try as much as we can,” said Foster.
Turner also admitted that, while not all students find employers that interest them, other opportunities that the Career Center offers, such as Road Shows – which take employee opportunities to various cities – the WU Winter Parties and Junior Jumpstart provide other ways for students to find jobs and internships.
Furthermore, Turner said that since this is only the third on-campus career fair that the Career Center has put on, there is room for improvement.
“The goal is to make it a good experience for students, and [we] are receptive to feedback. It is good practice for students, and we will continue to find ways for students to interface with employers,” said Turner.