Alexis Smith walked with a purpose Tuesday through Hogarth Student Union at the Mississippi University for Women.
With copies of her resume in-hand, the senior communication major visited all 21 employer booths at the university’s annual career fair, hoping to cast a wide net for job opportunities after her scheduled May graduation.
“I’m really interested in public relations or marketing,” Smith said. “Also I’m interested in going into broadcasting, so I don’t want to block out broadcasting. It just really depends, but as far as right now I’ve been doing internships in public relations to see if it’s exactly what I want to go in. I’m just trying to sell myself and stand out.”
Mark Maharrey, market president for iHeart Media, was more than happy to talk to Smith and any other student who showed interest in the radio broadcasting company.
“I use this to meet people, but also for community outreach,” Maharrey said. “I want to help guide people in this business. Of course, we’re always hiring.”
Business representatives at the career fair ranged from police departments, military branches, media, food industries, local manufactures and job placement offices. Towanda Williams, MUW career specialist, said the goal is to help facilitate graduating students’ relationships with potential employers.
“It gives them an opportunity to meet employers face-to-face, (and) learn how to introduce themselves and learn how to sell themselves,” Williams said. “They also get the opportunity to see how their majors fit into different organizations.”
Taylor Corder, another senior communication major, said she tried to meet future employers throughout the day, but otherwise wasn’t searching for anything specific.
“I’m just trying to get my name out there,” Corder said. “Just tying to put my foot in the door. I’m still very unsure what I am looking for, just a stable job that I can be confident in.”
‘See what’s out there’
While some organizations — such as the Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Alabama police departments — were there to recruit any soon-to-be graduate, no matter their major, others were looking for students interested in internships or seniors with particular degrees.
Victoria Andre, the fair’s representative from Tuscaloosa hospital DCH Health Systems, said DCH is constantly looking for registered nurses. In order to combat the need for RNs, the hospital has increased its pay from $18.75 to $22 an hour. With unemployment at 3 percent, the application pool often doesn’t fill the positions available, she said.
“We try to just make sure that we are going to every event we can,” Andre said. “We definitely visit schools. I think in health care, there’s a huge shift because now employers are selling themselves rather than candidates.”
Businesses offered starting hourly wages from $15 to $22, while annual salaries ranged from $24,000 to $50,000. Nearly all representatives cited the importance of meeting potential applicants face-to-face.
Roddy Broadaway, Tupelo manager with Consolidated Electrical Distributor, said college career fairs often help the employer, but it’s more important for students to start networking with companies.
“Kids sometimes think they know what they want to do,” Broadaway said. “They just need to get in here, see what else is out there. Look at their options and maybe some direction. But they’ve got to come in and introduce themselves.”
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