AU students attending the 2007 Spring Job and Internship Fair in Bender Arena today from 1 to 4 p.m. will benefit from lead-in events that are part of the first-ever theme-based week leading up to the fair. The week's theme is "Your Future, What Are You Waiting For?," according to Christine Lam, the Career Center's assistant director of communications and marketing.
The week's title was developed by Lam, Career Center Director of Career Development Camille Franklin and Class of 2007 President Mark Stern, according to Lam.
"The theme wasn't meant to impact the fair so much as it was meant to get students in the mind-set of preparing for their future," Lam said. "We've never had a week of events leading up to the fair before and retained the drop-in resume critiques we always do the week of the fair. We wanted to expand the students' perspective that job searches involve more than a good resume."
Events offered by the Career Center this week included a panel discussion on Monday about steps to take to find a job in today's market, drop-in resume critiques on Tuesday and Wednesday, a discussion on business etiquette on Tuesday and a resume-writing workshop on Wednesday.
Allison Guerra, a sophomore in the Kogod School of Business, said she is excited about attending the fair.
"I think that it's an excellent opportunity to meet employers," Guerra said. "There are a lot of national companies attending the fair, there are excellent networking opportunities available, and it's a great opportunity to look for internships - especially for the upcoming summer. I think the quality of the companies attending the fair says a lot about the students and Career Center at AU."
More than 1,000 students are expected to meet the 160 currently registered employers as of March 21, according to Lauren Wiedl, the Career Center's employer services coordinator, who directs the Job and Internship Fair.
Wiedl said the fair is divided into student and employer areas. When students arrive, they will visit the Student Resource Center, which is a student area staffed by the Career Center's career and internship advisers. Wiedl said every member of the Career Center staff will work the fair and help students find employers associated with their fields of interest.
The Student Resource Center will assist students with questions about the fair, such as how to approach an employer, where to begin their hunt, or which techniques are beneficial for an interview. The Student Resource Center will also push InterviewStream, a virtual mock interviewing program, in which students conduct a practice interview online and can either self-critique or request feedback from a Career Center adviser.
Students can then enter the employer area and receive a map of where each employer is located.
"Hopefully, if you continue to come to the fair, you will make good connections, land good internships and when you're ready to look for a full-time job, you'll have many options," Wiedl said.
The Career Center created the "Job and Internship Fair Resource Guide" for the fair. It offers tips on how to maximize the fair experience and gives information on participating employers.
The Career Center and senior class work on postgraduation planning activities each year, and the Career Center and senior class also worked together to market the week.
The Career Center first advertised the Spring 2007 Job and Internship Fair to employers in December and began advertising to students during the week before spring break.
Lam said the Career Center sent targeted e-mails to students by school so they were aware of employers specifically interested in recruiting people of their major or in their school.
"When employers register for the Job and Internship Fair, they specify which majors or schools they are recruiting for," Lam said. "With that information we are able to alert students on AU CareerWeb that these particular employers are seeking to recruit them."
Lam also said maintaining an up-to-date profile on AU CareerWeb ensures that students are getting the right employer information when they are e-mailed about employers who are recruiting for their majors.
