By Liz Spano, Student Reporter
A Career Expo will be Wednesday in the McCaleb Conference Room in the Bob and Shirley Hunter Welcome Center. Besides providing one Chapel credit, it will give students an opportunity to network with possible future career choices.
The career fair, which is organized by the College of Business Administration and the Career Center, will include representatives from numerous businesses, graduate schools and organizations that give students and alumni the opportunity to find possible jobs and internships, said Troy Stirman, director of Career and Alumni Development for COBA.
“We’re really encouraging [students] to come and interact with these companies and graduate schools to increase their networking circle, so when it comes time to look for a job, they will already have a base for contacts,” Stirman said. “It’s a one stop shop for them to engage all of these industries and schools in one place, and we’re making it convenient for them to do that.”
Stirman said he also hopes alumni who are searching for jobs because of the country’s economic state will come to the career fair to take advantage of the opportunities it provides.
Companies that will have representatives at the fair include the FBI, Bank of America, Genesis Network Solutions, Edward Jones, Radio Shack, the U.S. Army, Condley and Company, PFSWeb, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, The Halo Group, First Financial Bank of Abilene, Milsoft Utilities, Zoltek, as well as other agencies, financial service groups, manufacturing firms and ministry groups.
“A lot of students think this is something they do their senior year,” said Tim Johnston, executive director for Career Center. “The reality is.we should see all classifications of students here. A lot of these organizations have a variety of talent they’re looking for.”
Johnston said he encourages students to come to the Career Expo to connect with professionals who are specifically looking for talent directly from a college, which will give students an opportunity to make connections and build experience.
“It’s always about contacts, networking, putting the puzzle together and getting started early,” Johnston said. “Students need to be in this mindset from the base up on campus.”
Johnston said he expects approximately 500-1,000 people to attend the Career Expo, which will be from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Students who attend will receive a Chapel credit.
