Mississippi State University students and alumni seeking full-time, co-op, internship and summer employment have the opportunity to meet with 80 organizations at the Career Fair today.
The biannual Career Day is held once a semester. It will last from noon until 4 p.m. in the Humphrey Coliseum outer concourse.
Representatives from employers including Honda Manufacturing, Mississippi Department of Corrections and the CIA, among others, will be present.
Career Center assistant director Lisa Buckner said the fair will allow students and alumni to meet informally with employers at their convenience, without the costs of traveling to each company.
“Students and alumni have a chance to pass out their rsums and get a brief overview with the organizations and make a great first impression with the employers,” Buckner said.
“Some organizations will even sign students up for interviews either Wednesday or later in the semester,” Buckner added.
AFLAC Insurance will be one of these companies.
“We will be collecting rsums for review and making introductions to set up interviews following the fair,” said Greg Weeks, AFLAC regional sales coordinator for North Mississippi.
April McClung, regional recruiting supervisor for Enterprise Rent-a-Car, said that she plans to schedule on-campus interviews later this spring.
Adtran College recruiting coordinator Stacy Landtroop said the best advice she can give to students seeking employment is to research the companies before coming to the career fair.
“Know what a company does and what they look for before approaching the recruiters,” Landtroop said.
Buckner said that part of students’ making great first impressions is being prepared, having their resume and doing their homework on the company before they go.
“[Students] need to take every opportunity to meet with employers and get their name recognizable,” Buckner added.
McClung and Weeks both advocated the Career Fair.
“I am a testimony to the success of the career services department of Mississippi State,” Weeks said. “This was the vehicle that started my career in the insurance industry.”
Students can check the Career Center Web site, www.career.msstate.edu, for links to each company. The next Career Day will be Sept. 21-22.