TIGER TV ONLINE REPORTER
Students in ironed button-downs, pressed slacks and resumes in hand crowded into the Maddox Field House Wednesday afternoon for the fall semester Career Expo.
The Career Expo is a chance for students of all grades and majors to network with people from different companies in their field. It was held in the Maddox Field House from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
According to Sara Crow from Career Services, this fall’s expo had representatives from 188 companies. This is less than last year’s fall expo where there were around 230 companies represented. Crow attributes this to the economy.
“We have noticed a shift with the changes in the economy,” Crow said. “In fact not even all the companies here today are looking to hire. They are just here to talk to students about their company.”
Some of the companies featured at this fall’s expo were Chevron, Coca-cola, ExxonMobil, Procter & Gamble and Prudential. Upon entering the expo students were given a list of all the companies being represented and a map of where to find them.
In the past, Career services noticed that not all companies would hire international students. To solve this problem this year, companies hiring international students were denoted by an arrow to the left of the company’s name on the list students were given.
The Career Expo serves as a source of not only finding a full time job but also finding part time jobs, internships and co-ops.
Crow recommends that students start going to the Expo their freshman year; even those students who aren’t completely sure what career they are planning on going into.
“The Expo is a great way for a student who isn’t really sure what they want to do with their major to talk to people from that field and get a feel for the jobs available,” Crow said.
Crow said the most important things to make a good impression at the Career Expo is to dress in business casual, talk to the companies with confidence and ask questions about the companies.
There will be another Career Expo in the first two to four weeks of the spring semester.
