Feb. 11, 2015

By Rumasa Noor

Multicultural Career Fair at UW-Whitewater attracted dozens of companies and recruiters from different industries.
Hundreds of students from a variety of majors attended the fair in hopes to acquire jobs and internships in their fields of study.

Approaching employers
It’s always somewhat nerve-racking to approach the employers at the career fairs. People get confused as to what they should say when they approach an employer.
Employers offered several tips on how to approach them at these events.
Sarah Michel-Newell of The Horton Group said it is important for students to approach the employers directly and introduce themselves rather than standing around and waiting to be approached.
“Be on time, be yourself.” Newell said. “Talk about your accomplishments, not necessarily your day to day [ones]. Be very clear in the path you want to take, so that both you and the employer would know that the opportunity is a good fit for you.”
Amanda Ernst, recruiter from TEKsystems, said students should be prepared when they come in and approach the recruiters at the fair.
“I think the right way is just to share what you’re interested in as a student what you’re looking for out of an internship or a role and then allowing them to share a little bit more about what they might have to offer,” Laura Nemetz from UW Credit Union said.
She also said if students are interested in a specific organization, they should let its recruiters know why they are interested in them.
“Employers want to know why people want to work for them, and so I think being able to communicate even if it’s something small about why you want to work for that org, could be a great way to set yourself apart,” Nemetz said.

Why attend the career fair?
One of the biggest advantages of career fairs is they  introduce a variety of different companies to students that they may otherwise not have exposure to.
“It’s important to attend a career fair because it gives them [students] exposure to what other companies are out there in the area,” said Corporate Recruiter of Generac, Rachel Mancl. “When you’re in school, you don’t quite know what’s out there in the community. When you come in here it gives you exposure to several different companies and kind of finding out what each company has to offer.”

Appropriate attire
Ernst stressed the need to dress appropriately at the career fairs. She said some students attend the fair wearing jeans, which isn’t an appropriate apparel for such a professional platform.

Research
Most recruiters emphasized on the need to research the companies prior to attending the fair. They said researching a company helps students explore what they are looking for.

Internships
The value of internships is undeniable for most people. Recruiters seek candidates with experience, and internships are a great way to gain experience. Mancl said students should make the most of the internship opportunities.
“I would definitely recommend that they utilize internships as best as they can,” Mancl said. “I think when you are going to school for a general major and not quite sure where they might fit, I think internship is really great to give people exposure to what it’s like actually working in the real world with that major because you might find out that you don’t want to go into it anymore.”