NSU held its biannual Internship and Job Fair on Sep. 18 in the Arena at the Don Taft University Center, where students meet with 54 employers from a broad spectrum of industries.
Diane Klein, assistant director of employer relations in the Office of Career Development, estimated that 300 students attended the fair. She said that business, accounting and computer sciences were the most represented industries at the fair.
“Overall, the businesses were very impressed with the Nova students,” Klein said.
Allison Drapala, a sales and marketing intern who manned the table for MarineMax, thought the event was organized well and ran smoothly. She especially appreciated the employer lounge where lunch was served and employers could step away from hectic pace of the jobs fair.
“The lounge was very nice,” Allison said. “It gave me a chance to get away for a few minutes.”
While Drapala was impressed with many students, she said it is very important for prospective employees to research companies before meeting representatives, so that they can appear knowledgeable and ask appropriate questions.
“A lot of students didn’t look into the company beforehand. It felt very unprofessional,” Drapala said.
Phillips Williams, an NSU alumnus who graduated in May with a bachelor’s in communication studies, found a lot of value in this advice. Before attending the fair, he researched every company within his field that was scheduled to attend the fair. It paid off.
“I’ve already got a good lead on a job, so this was a great opportunity for me,” Williams said.
Anna James, a senior business management major, agreed.
“I told all my friends, if you didn’t come, you missed out on a great opportunity,” James said.
Drapala said MarineMax was looking for immediate hires for sales positions. Students’ major weren’t important; the employers looking for candidates who exhibited perseverance and a sales mentality.
“You can come from anywhere. If you are a good salesman, you are a good salesman,” Drapala said.
This was MarineMax’s first time attending NSU’s job fair. Drapala said they absolutely plan on coming back.
This was senior marketing major Samantha High’s second job fair, though the first one she attended was unaffiliated with NSU. She was excited to attend the campus fair, as it allowed her the opportunity to practice skills she had learned in class.
“I was prepared with an elevator speech that I just learned in class, so I was confident when meeting the different companies.”
An “elevator speech” is a pitch delivered in the time it takes to ride in an elevator.
High found the job fair to be beneficial.
“It is so important to get out there and network with companies,” she said. “As a senior, I thought that this was extremely valuable in terms of potentially getting hired and getting my name out to different companies in our community.”
James agreed, saying, “As an international student, I need as many connections as possible.”
The next NSU Job and Internship Fair will be held on Feb. 18. More details will be announced later this semester.
