Job and Internship Fair gives students an opportunity to meet employers

04/13/201609/21/2019

By Marissa Bean

Editor-in-Chief

As the semester winds down, and the college careers of many come to a close, now is the perfect time to start looking for a job, and Career Services is here to help.

The Job and Internship Fair will take place on April 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The annual event will be held in the Tinsley Center located on East Campus.

The event will include more than 130 employers with open job or internship opprtunities, making this is the largest career fair at Bridgewater State University.

The event is typically held in the Rondileau Campus Center Ballroom, but it had to be moved this year to accommodate the increased number of present employers.

“It’s the first time we’ve ever gone over to the Tinsley Center,” said Laurent Troland, assistant director of employer services for Career Services. “The ballroom can usually hold about 60 employers. This allows us that much more space since we’ve been getting an increased demand.”

Attendees to the event are not required to preregister, but are asked to bring student ID cards.

Career Services, located on the ground floor of the RCC, has offered a variety of workshops leading up to the fair, including resume critiques and elevator speech practice.

Students are encouraged to research the employers that will be present at the fair in order to make the most of their time. Students should learn about the open positions the employers they are interested in have available, and bring resumes to give to those employers.

Troland recommends bringing more resumes than expected in case they find an additional opportunity available.

Attendees are also encouraged to dress in professional business attire. There is not a strict dress code, but business attire makes a better positive first impression according to Troland.

The fair is open to all students, including graduate students. The event will be most beneficial for upperclassmen, particularly graduating seniors, but freshmen and sophomores are welcome to attend. Underclassmen can benefit from the fair by seeing where they can use their major, or to get started on an internship search, according to Troland.

Students in attendance are encouraged to collect business cards from the employers they talk to at the fair. Troland recommends sending thank-you notes to those employers within one to two business days following the fair.

Attendees interested in open positions are encouraged to apply for the position shortly after the fair.

Many of the employers that will be present are frequent participants in the annual fair, although many are new to the fair.

“These are mostly regular employers that consistently hire our students for positions, but we are always looking for new opportunities,” Troland said.

A list of employers that will be in attendance is available on the Career Services website.

Marissa Bean is the Editor-in-Chief for The Comment.