Students immersed in the job search have another opportunity to network on campus tomorrow at the Ohio University Winter Career Fair sponsored by Career Services.
Open to all majors, the career fair will have employers meeting with students from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Convo. Attending employers include the Internal Revenue Service, J.C. Penney Co. Inc. and Philip Morris USA. The full list can be viewed on the Career Services Web site, http://www.ohio.edu/careers/. Companies will discuss internships and co-op positions as well as job positions.
Bill Fournier, assistant director for employer relations at Career Services, said about 800 to 1,200 students will attend the fair, a smaller number than the Fall Career Fair, because fall is when the (job) activity is the greatest.
Fournier suggests that students bring multiple copies of resumes, dress professionally and research employers prior to the event.
Career Services is funded through OU's operating budget, said Associate Director of Career Services Robert Moffat. Employers attending the career fairs pay a registration fee of about $200, which largely funds the events, he said. Moffat did not have an exact cost of the fair, but The Convo costs $3,000 to rent, and food will cost about $2,000, he said. Fournier said the fall fair cost anywhere from $7,000 to $8,000.
With the economy rebounding, the career fairs are able to attract more national employers in addition to regional and local employers, he said.
According to a section of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Web site, http://lmi.state.oh.us, unemployment rates have decreased. In December 2003, rates were at 6.2 percent in Ohio and 5.4 percent in the United States, but a year later both rates dropped to 5.9 percent and 5.1 percent, respectively.
It's a better economy
it's a better job market. So it's eased it a little bit but there's still a great deal of competition out there
so students still need to be on their toes
Fournier said.
About a third of the companies stay in town another day after the career fair to interview students, he said.
Students can pick up interviews Wednesday and never have to leave campus. I don't know that it can be more convenient
Fournier said.
This is the fourth of five career fairs Career Services will sponsor this year, which include specific health, teacher recruitment and law fairs in addition to the general interest Fall Career Fair.
Today, the College of Business is also sponsoring an Internship Fair in Walter Hall Rotunda from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., said Angela Anderson, assistant dean for career resources in the College of Business. This event, open to all majors, is in its sixth year and is purposely scheduled the day before the career fair in order to save companies attending both events travel costs, she said.
Both Fournier and Anderson stressed that students should start the job search early and encouraged freshmen to take advantage of their respective Career Services events and
internship opportunities.
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Megan Chew
