Although Gracie Deere is a sophomore, she wants to get a head start and begin preparing for life after graduation. The Career Fair hosted by ULM Career Center last week was the perfect place for Deere to start.
“It was a great opportunity to get my name out there for a future internship or job,” said Deere, a risk management and insurance major.
ULM Career Center’s goal is to help lead students down the career paths they choose. In this process, the Career Center organizes multiple events including the fall Career Fair.
Before attending the Career Fair, students had the opportunity to learn more about the event during a panel that educated students on the expectations and requirements of the upcoming Career Fair.
The panel included five employers that were going to be at the Career Fair the next day. They each explained the do’s and don’ts of the event.
“This day is to actually give students pointers on what they should and shouldn’t do, what they should and shouldn’t wear, how to speak, what to say and not to say and just be prepared overall for the Career Fair,” said LaShawn Smith, the assistant director of development at the Career Center.
The panelists discussed various things to do in preparation of the event. The panelists also explained their expectations for students planning to attend the Career Fair. The panel’s purpose was to be educational and lessen the nervousness students might have about the Career Fair.
“The Career Fair panel is actually the intro to the Career Fair,” said Kristin Chandler, the director of the Career Center.
Many employers presented their companies to students interested in an internship or job at the Career Fair. There were booths set up all around Bayou Pointe Event Center where students could walk up to potential employers and make a first impression.
“Instead of students having to navigate and job search online, these employers are face-to-face and they are here ready to hire and network with students,” Chandler said.
Although the event is formal, it is not as nerve wracking as an interview and it prepares you for what is to come once you start meeting new employers and companies.
“It’s a way for them to be able to meet the students face-to-face, it’s not necessarily an actual interview, but it’s still a way for our students to make connections with the employers,” Smith said.