For millions of Americans, the vibrancy of the holidays ushers in a host of nostalgic memories. For Ohio University students, winter break provides many with the welcome opportunity to cash in on a little of the Christmas cheer.
As Fall Quarter draws to a close every year, a variety of businesses ranging from GAP to United Postal Service, rush into Athens seeking to attract students for seasonal positions. Kelly Maddox, Human Resource Manager for dELiA*s clothing corporation, was one of the employers who brought her traveling recruitment office to the Baker Center lounge.
The six-week OU break fits very well with the holiday season. We had a few girls from the school come and work for us last year and they worked out very well
so we decided to come here and recruit Maddox said.
As with most visiting companies, the effort was a success for dELiA*s, with a total of fourteen applicants being interviewed during the campaign.
Bill Fournier, assistant director of career services, said about 12 businesses recruit at OU.
Likewise, OU students seeking employment through their own means often find the job hunt much easier than their counterparts at other institutions. They were really happy last year at Target when I said I was going to be there from Thanksgiving until after Christmas. That's ideal for retails OU sophomore Leyna DeNapoli said.
The six-week span of time also opens up the possibility for students to partake in professional internships. While not as popular as the summer or quarterly options, many students find the competition for internships much less fierce during the holidays.
Jacqueline Pike, an OU junior, was invited back this winter by Fiserv, an informational management service in Pittsburgh, after a successful internship last summer. Most other schools are on the semester system
so when you go home there's not many people in the job market. If I were only off for three weeks
they probably wouldn't have brought me back
Pike said.
Positions are often more readily available within the month of December because of the high number of employees taking vacations, Holly Jacobs, internship coordinator for the college of communication, said.
Rose Isgrigg, assistant to the dean for transfer and advising for the College of Arts and Sciences similarly reported a number of students taking advantage of available internships during winter break.
Whether it is the retail or the intern route, most students agree upon the general benefits of the long holiday. I think it's nice. It let's you reflect on what this quarter has been like and decide what needs to be changed. And financially it will be nice to make money
OU freshman Cameron Connor said. The money I make during break isn't going to last for the rest of the year
but it will definitely help.
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