Career Connections hosted their third annual “Hiring for the Holidays” marketplace Thursday in the Career Connections office.

Businesses from around the area came to ULM looking for a chance to hire students to work seasonal positions.

Many businesses were clothing stores like Forever 21, American Eagle and Old Navy. However other stores like Build-A-Bear Workshop and Pier 1 Imports were looking to hire too.

Roslynn Pogue, student employment administrator at Career Connections, helped students throughout the fair talking to them about potential jobs and hosted the businesses that were in attendance. “Companies need extra workers for the holiday crowd; it’s a great opportunity for ULM students to get a job they may need.’ Pogue said.

Jasmine Blanson a junior elementary education major is thankful ULM helps students find jobs. Blanson said, “I’m glad ULM hosts these events; I need a job for the holidays to buy presents!”

A main quality a company may be looking for is a person who can represent their company well. Many students were dressed for the event and employers took notice.

Robert Esposito, manager of Yankee Candle at Pecanland Mall, gave some advice to students about job searching.

“Appearance does matter when I am looking for someone to hire” Esposito said about students dressing professionally to the event. “Dress like you would for an interview.”

Most companies hire people in October so they can be trained and ready for the holiday season. This is the perfect time for any student to apply for a seasonal position, perhaps to get some extra cash for holiday shopping.

Remember while looking for a job: retail always needs help during the holidays, and if you are going to the location for an application, dress like you would for the interview so they know you can represent a company well.

Career Connections is always available to help students prepare for entering the job market.