Students in fine cut black and navy suits circulated through the Tallahassee Civic Center showroom Tuesday, searching for opportunities at the 2002 Career Expo. Recruiters for the expo came out in droves, hoping to recruit interns and full-time employees for their companies.
Students felt that the expo was a wonderful way to meet with companies personally.
Dwayne Sands, 18, a freshman computer engineer student from Norfolk, Va., believed the expo was a good way to mix with companies.
“The expo has really given me a chance to interact with companies that are possible places that I might want to work after college. To me this is the greatest experience,” Sands said.
Job seekers also came from outside the Tallahassee area, looking for possible employment.
Gaytri Patel, 24, a recent University of Colorado graduate in town to see friends, said she liked the personal interaction with recruiters rather corresponding through the Internet.”
“It’s just a way to get your resume out there, instead of having to trust the e-mail with your resume, ” Patel said.
“The expo has really given me a chance to really interact with companies that are possible places that I would like to be employed with. To me it’s like the greatest experience because everybody is here.”
A lot of companies that attended the expo were looking for open-minded, flexible employees with neat resumes, and well-rounded personalities.
Eileen Robinson, national recruiter for the U.S. Customs Service, said “We’re looking for someone who’s not only excelling in their educational background but is well-rounded. Someone who has sought out outside activities and can show the initiative and the gumption to try different things.”
Lisa Banks-Clark, program manager for geographic infrastructure at Agilent Technologies, Inc., emphasized that she “looks for experience in resumes.”
“We also look for the involvement they’ve had on campus and we also look for accomplishments,” said Clark.
Clark added that it’s impressive when students do their homework for companies they are interested in.
“It’s very good for them to know information before they come here. If a student can come up and not ask me what does Agilent Technologies do, but tell me what Agilent Technologies does-I’m very impressed. To me that’s a plus and it gives the student an edge,” Clark added.
Brenda Swanson, national media manager with Best Buy advertising,, says that “enthusiasm” is a characteristic necessary in their employees.
“Usually, we look for people with a lot of enthusiasm. Best Buy is a dynamic company, we look more for people with great personalities rather than their majors. If we feel a person has that thrive and passion we feel we can train them for the job.”
Overall, there were 116 companies recruiting at the expo.