After a lengthy delay, and with graduation less than two months away, the opportunities may have come too late for students during the Career Development Center’s (CDC) annual Spring Job and Internship Fair.
The event was planned for Feb. 5, but was canceled due to the state of emergency that was put into place because of bad weather.
Some students expressed concerns about their job prospects with the fair being held so late in the semester. Chris Nanetti, a senior majoring in electrical engineering, said he was worried about finding something at the fair.
“I’m looking for a career internship for after graduating,” Nanetti said. “It’s a little shaky for me if I won’t be able to get my position this late.”
Genna Matz, who represented Oasis Day Camp at the fair, said they were hoping to fill positions ranging from leadership roles to business and financial jobs. Like representatives from many other companies, she said she was happy for the opportunity to hire students even though it was a little late.
“We prefer to get a lot of our hiring done earlier,” Matz said. “But we’re always looking for new staff so it doesn’t affect us too much.”
Despite the rescheduling, 950 students and 62 employers still turned up. Citibank, Geico, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, Frito-Lay and Teach for America were among the businesses represented.
Posters and handouts about the companies were displayed on tables, and students lined up to pitch their qualifications to the representatives.
“The Job and Internship Fair is an opportunity to connect employers and students together,” said Bill McCarthy, the associate director of the CDC. “Whenever we can do that, it’s a success.”
Some students said they were not there to find an internship or job, but for the experience.
“It’s kind of like a reality slap in the face, in a good way, to show you that the school is giving you a lot of opportunities to connect and network,” said Nofal Abbas, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering. “At the same time it’s showing you that college is short, we’re going to have to jump into the real world soon enough.”
For employers who were not able to attend the Job and Internship Fair, there will be an online version on Thursday, March 27.
According to Laura O’Neill, academic internship program coordinator, the virtual fair will offer students an opportunity to connect with more employers.
“Any employer that wasn’t able to come, we had students get in touch with them,” O’Neill said. “So they don’t have the same face-to-face opportunity, but they are still able to reach out to them.”
The organizers said the event came together very well and that they were happy with the turnout.
“We overcame adversity to make this work,” McCarthy said. “Our goal is to get good employers with good internships and good opportunities for the students.”