Alumni Arena bustled with excitement and opportunity Wednesday as CareerFest 2007 took over the main gym.
For three hours, nearly 140 employers from companies in all fields of service entertained questions and introductions with hundreds of UB students.
"There's something for everyone here," said Laura Godwin, CareerFest director and senior associate with the Office of Career Services.
Beginning with a job fair workshop held on March 1, students were educated on how to prepare themselves and what to expect.
"It's nice to know that students know what they're looking for. We want them prepared," Godwin said.
Along with online preparation through the Office of Career Services' Web site, suggestions included bringing multiple copies of r?(c)sum?(c)s and dressing professionally. Most students arrived in business attire, looking ready to make introductions and contacts.
"This is a place to make good first contact with employers. It's a place to explore and I think it can be very useful in the students' job search," Godwin said.
With nearly triple the number of employers in attendance since the first fair nine years ago, CareerFest might be perceived as a bit overwhelming to students. For this reason, the event setup divided employers into grouped areas.
"There were diverse sections. The career fair encompassed everything,
Companies seemed eager to hire, boasting a variety of prospects.
"We're looking for full-time summer interns, as well as co-ops," said Ray Johnson, a human resources manager with Atlantic Testing Laboratories.
Atlantic Testing Laboratories is just one of many companies looking to fill numerous positions. A majority of the companies send delegates who specialize in aspects of recruiting and promoting.
"Most representatives are human resource professionals and some are hiring managers. Each one is looking for something different," Godwin said.
Atlantic Testing Laboratories is just one example of UB students finding jobs through CareerFest. In fact, a great deal of the companies represented come because of suggestions from UB alumni who work there.
"It's not weird for us to hear back from a student or an alumnus who comes back and says 'Yeah, well the first job I got - I got it as a result of the career fair'," Godwin said.
The opportunities proffered by the companies at CareerFest often extend from hiring to educational training. Binu John, an industrial engineer for the United States Postal Service described a two-year training program for industrial engineers that let them learn about the postal service and offers many further opportunities.
"We're looking at industrial engineers to be the future leaders of the company," Johnson said.
Students are often surprised by the diversity in majors and specialties that companies recruit. The FBI makes sure to inform people that to be a special agent, it does not matter what your major is.
"It was good that they all came out with a broad sense of the type of students that they wanted, and it wasn't always limited to engineers or technical people," said senior finance major Shakira Morgan.
Often a strong factor in any employment opportunity, location certainly becomes a factor in CareerFest. Nearly half the companies involved have locations and bases with positions to offer in the Western New York area.
"You get to learn about them a little bit and where they're from. I met a couple of employers...and they have their businesses right in my town," said junior business major Steven En.
While larger companies certainly attract attention at CareerFest, students get the chance to see smaller companies who can provide just as many opportunities.
"It allows people to see a lot of companies that aren't usually advertised. Instead of seeing Microsoft on TV all the time, you'll see some of the smaller companies that most people probably overlook or just don't hear about," En said.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the business world offered by CareerFest is the overall learning experience and skills practice.
"If you're shy it helps you with personal skills," Morales said. "It helps a lot when you're able to go up to a recruiter and basically get a taste of what they're looking for - what they're organization needs. From both ends, you gain something."
If the overall draw wasn't enough, students were also able to enter to win prizes such as free Kaplan test prep courses and campus bookstore gift cards from the Career Services office.
"UB has an excellent reputation for a diverse and talented population and employers want to nab them before they graduate," Godwin said.
