Blogger: James Ryan Irion

            Although it was highly recommended to wear a suit (and tie) for this Tuesday’s full-time Career Fair, being professionally dressed only scratches the surface of the importance and significance of job fairs.  One of the most important aspects is to attend them in the first place, accordingly to your semester standing and career intentions.

            Take me for example:  someone who has yet to definitively figure out what I want to do career-wise and only a couple job titles of interest so far.  The night before the Career Fair I was so nervous it wasn’t funny.  Some of my anxieties were misplaced because of this being the first time I had attended such a professional event.  But the nervousness from not knowing what I want to do the rest of my life almost made me not want to go.  I’m very thankful of Career Services and certain members of the CJO for encouraging me to attend because I did gain some positive things from the experience.

            First of all, I was able to set a good example for other students by dressing professionally as well as helping to set up and clean up the fair, being a member of the CJO.  Although the two employers I spoke to preferred online resumes, which was a general trend I had noticed amongst many employers in attendance, I still made myself known and engaged in conversations to learn more about job positions of interest to me.  I also attended a separate session for the PA State Civil Service Commission which refreshed my knowledge of using their website for job searching and applications.  Even more helpful was that the speaker showed ways to maximize success when applying as well as pointing out tips and tidbits of information.  Not to diminish the presence of employers who remained in the gym the whole time, I just felt I gained some crucial information by attending the separate session.

            Beyond that I would say I gained little else from the Career Fair, which might make some of you think it is not worth the time.  But I would’ve gained nothing had I not attended, not to mention that career fairs (on campus) are typically held only once a year.  Even if you are like me, job fairs are baby steps in the right direction and at the right time have the potential to boost job researching efforts.  Personally, they sure beat blindly trying to find out about a specific job position online or from a thick book.  It is a shame there isn’t any sort of job shadowing on the collegiate level like what I took part in back in my senior high school.  And I envy those who knew what they wanted to do early on in life.  I may be 28 years old, but once I figure out what I want to pursue I’ll grab onto that job and give it my all like there is no tomorrow.  Thanks again to Career Services for sponsoring the fair.