Hundreds of students gathered in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Thursday to inquire about internships and full-time jobs with about 50 federal agencies. The University co-hosted Federal Career Day in correspondence with Baton Rouge Community College, Our Lady of the Lake College and Southern University. The event was part of the Call To Serve initiative, a joint project proposed by the Partnership for Public Service and the Office of Personnel Management. “Call To Serve is an initiative to educate young Americans about opportunities in the federal government,” said Sara Crow, Career Services communications manager. “We want federal agencies to feel linked to LSU.” Crow said the most popular tables seemed to be for the FBI, NASA and the IRS. Tim McManus, education and outreach vice president for the Partnership for Public Service, said Call To Serve and Federal Career Day were successful. “Career fairs build awareness of the opportunities that are out there and help debunk the myths associated with federal service jobs,” he said. Federal Career Day also featured a series of career-specific workshops. McManus said the workshops were attended by many students. Kippy Anthony, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers human resource technician, distributed information to students about both internships and full-time jobs at the career fair. She said it is important for students to attend career fairs to learn more about the fields they are interested in. “In my opinion, the last two years are when students should go to career fairs and see what’s out there,” she said. “Working for any federal agency is a great opportunity, especially benefits-wise.” Erica Washington, biology senior, said she attended the career fair because she wants to boost her credentials by applying for internships before she enters the job market. “It’s been helpful,” she said. “The organizations told me about different opportunities.” Crow said many of the federal agencies represented at the career fair, like the FBI and IRS, are based in Washington D.C., but students also had the opportunity to meet with representatives from local bureaus. Washington, who wants to pursue a career in healthcare, said she visited the tables for the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services. “I wanted to find something to give me a different perspective on healthcare,” she said. William Barlett, civil and environment engineering graduate student, said the career fair was helpful. “I thought I would just be able to talk to the [Environmental Protection Agency], but a lot of other organizations told me a lot about different opportunities,” he said. Norma Thomas, IRS national recruiter, said she wanted to meet students with leadership and communication skills and backgrounds in accounting, business and marketing for permanent positions with the IRS. She said students should get an early start with their careers by attending career fairs. “Even freshmen should see what is out there which helps them figure out which direction they want to take,” she said. “It’s a great idea for students.”
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