With Spring semester underway and everyone heading back to classes, it officially marks the kick-off of recruitment season. Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University is scheduled to host its annual Career Fair Expo Wednesday January 24, 2018 in the Al Lawson Center with a list of other career events happening prior.
FAMU will host a series of career events that week to provide opportunities for students to connect directly with employers and for employers to fill their hiring needs. The events will kick off on Tuesday January 23, with a STEM Career Fair, which would focus on engineering, computer science and technical fields.
Natalia Fernandez, a second year biochemistry student at Florida Sate, said she’s excited about the STEM Fair and didn’t know it was open to FSU students. “I never knew that as a FSU student that I can attend the STEM Fair at FAMU, but I’m so excited and grateful for the opportunity to attend,” Fernandez stated. This particular Career Fair is in conjunction with the FAMU-FSU program so it’s in fact open to both universities or people who have a general interest in the STEM career field.
Every Fall and Spring semester FAMU puts on a rather extravagant career expo for current students as well as alumni of all majors who are seeking full-time or part-time employment opportunities. This career fair gives current students and graduates the opportunity to formally meet with recruiters from all over the nation about employment and internship opportunities and/or anticipated job opportunities. The Career Expo is an excellent opportunity to network and build relationships within the business world. Approximately 100 organizations and Fortune 500 companies from the local, state, non-profit and governmental industries attend each year.
Fourth-year business administration student Jasmine Fowler said that she is excited for this career fair, especially with her graduating this coming May. “I’m so grateful for this opportunity given to us students. Finding employment after graduation seems almost impossible but with this career expo I feel a little more at ease,” Fowler said.
There are scheduled to be over 100 employers at this Career Fair giving people ample opportunity to speak with different employers about possible job or internship opportunities. Many students have prepared themselves by researching their mission statements, financial information, top competitors, mergers, and any current issues that they may be facing.
Third-year biology student, Clairminza Almonor said she doesn’t know how to prepare for the fair. “As a biology student I’m never prepared for events like this, which is why I don’t attend the Career Fair when it comes. The fair seems like it’s just for business savvy students,” Almonor said. Many students like herself may find that same difficulty when attended business events and all they need is a few tips and guidance.
When to prepare students show always research the employers, update their resume that reflects their most current accomplishments and experiences, consider a business professional dress code, distribute your resume to different employers, make connections and get business cards, and even practice introducing yourself at home with a well thought out introduction to use with those employers.