16 October 2018
Quinita Thomas
The Career Center will be hosting a career fair on Oct. 23 in Berger Hall.
“There will be forty to forty-five employers coming,” said Claire Ami, the Career Outreach Coordinator. “Some are coming just to look for volunteers, but others are looking to hire students for internships, or full time jobs.”
This event is open to all majors and all students. There will also be a student club in the lobby area to take LinkedIn profile photos.
“I help with all the events done through the Career Center such as interviews, resumes and advertising,” said Ami. “I like this role because I get to help students find their career path for after college.”
“In the past we have had the City of Fountain, Colorado Springs Police Department, Children’s literacy Center, Alpine Autism Center and the Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity,” said Ami.
Even if students are not going to the fair to find jobs, Ami encourages students to look over their resumes. “It is a living document. Your experience is always changing” said Ami. “As you gain more skills and knowledge, you want to update your resume to match that.”
Students who wish to polish up their resumes before attending the Career Fair are encouraged to go to upcoming resume reviews on Oct. 15, 16 and 18.
Ami encourages students to practice elevator speeches, which are a short pitch often used when meeting employers. This will help employers determine whether or not students can work with them.
“This is a short pitch about who you are and what you’re looking for,” said Ami. “They call it an elevator speech because you need to say it in the time it takes you to ride the elevator, which is usually about twenty to thirty seconds.”
According to Ami, this will be the final career fair of the semester, but another two will be hosted in March.
Before the career fair, the Career Center will be hosting a JCPenny sale event to get professional clothes and the Career Center has a donation service similar to Clyde’s Closet for professional clothes as well.
Ami said that it’s important that all students attend the Career Fair even if they are freshmen students. “Meeting employers and talking to them can be intimidating. At least come out and talk to employers. This will help you gain experience in introducing yourself.”
Ami said that to get ready for the event students should practice elevator speeches in the Communications Center, revise their resumes and revise their professional attire.
“Remember that employers are just as excited to meet students,” said Ami.