Students flocked to Perry Field House yesterday with hopes of taking their first step towards landing their future careers.
Dressed from head to toe in their professional attire, students came prepared to learn more about the demanding job market from the numerous employers attending the Student Expo Job Fair this year.
Twelve rows of tables dissected the basketball courts of the field house, with large displays and free gifts grabbing the attention of every broke college student who walked by.
While some students walked in with a plan, knowing the locations of each company they wanted to talk to, others walked in with their head on a swivel as they tried to build up the courage to begin their descent down each isle.
Hector Hernandez stood in front of a large display, immersed in a sea of red and white Target logos. Students surrounded him, letting their guards down after seeing the easy going nature of those representing Target.
“We’re looking for people to work in our stores who will make great business decisions and really focus on leadership,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez, a BGSU alumnus, said Target is very serious about bringing in quality employees from the University.
“BG has a lot of good students and the business program is really good here,” Hernandez said. “There is a lot of opportunities for recruitment for us, so we are always a part of BG’s job fairs.”
Jacqueline Rivers stood in front of a display for Farmers Insurance Group, welcoming students with a smile and explaining the importance of her company and the job security that comes with it.
“Farmers is a very attractive company, because as the market has ups and downs, farmers offers business that everybody has to have regardless,” Rivers said.
Rivers came to the job fair with very real opportunities within her company, offering students entry into a two-year program that ensured them a good job at completion.
But not every company at EXPO was offering full-time positions, a sign of the struggles being experienced by companies across the US.
News Director of Fox Toledo Steve France came to the EXPO in order to offer students internship positions, wanting individuals to prove themselves before giving them a full-time position.
France said students must gain skills in all aspects of their field instead of being really good at one aspect of their field.
“No one is going to hire someone who has tunnel vision, that can only do one part of the job,” France said. “You have to be well-rounded.”
Students who made good impressions were rewarded with formal interviews which will take place today, in hopes of taking that first step towards their career.
