By Every college student feels the stress over what they’ll do after graduating, but Cal State Long Beach offers a way to relieve some of that worry.
Each semester, students have the opportunity to attend a job fair where they can meet employers, dress the part, exchange handshakes, showcase interviewing skills and if they’re lucky — leave with a job.
The Career Development Center will be sponsoring the 2018 Spring Job and Internship Fair from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the University Student Union ballrooms, running from Feb. 22 to Feb. 23.
Students attending should expect to find a number of employers and companies—about 30 on Wednesday and 60 on Thursday—that are interested in offering students part-time or full-time jobs and internships.
“In the past, the job fair was just one big event, but this year, we tried to break it up into two events,” said Wayne Tokunaga, a counselor at the Career Development Center.
Students will get the chance to connect with employers from the government and social service sector, and Thursday employers exclusively from the healthcare and business fields will be present.
Marissa Murphy, a senior double majoring in philosophy and political science, plans on going to the job fair to connect with employers and hopefully obtain a job.
“I think it’s useful to know what an employer wants, it’s definitely worthwhile,” Murphy said. Max Huang, a senior majoring in communication studies, also believes that attending the job fair is a valuable experience.
“It’s important to attend these sort of events because it gives people insight on the industry that they are interested in,” Huang said.
Among the many employers that will be attending are the JusticeCorps, the Peace Corps, American Capital Group, Burlington Stores, the Downey Police Department and the City of Long Beach. In order to view the remaining number of employers attending the job fair, students may go to CareerLINK, and click on “Events” in the left hand toolbar.
“Prepare for the Job Fair” workshops will be available Feb. 15 and Feb. 20 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
“If you go to these workshops,” said Tokunaga, “We’re going to tell you what you should do before, during, and after the career fair.”
It is advised that students bring several copies of their resumes and tailor them to specific employers for a higher chance of being offered jobs or internships. Students may visit the Career Development Center anywhere between 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to review their resumes with a counselor; however, it is on a “first come, first served” basis.
Students are also expected to wear formal attire. Tokunaga adds, “Even if you don’t feel that you are professional yet, it’s always good to dress the part because it shows how mature you are.”
