Listen Here
By Lauren Rex
rexl@findlay.edu
The University of Findlay recently hosted a Career and Internship fair on Feb. 15 in the Alumni Memorial Union (AMU) on campus. There was a wide variety of companies that participated.
From Marathon Oil and Marathon Petroleum, to Owens, Mercy Health, and Kalmbach feeds, there was a little bit of everything present.
Brad Hammer, the director of career and professional development at UF, plays a big part in job fairs.
“There are a wide variety of employers that attend, anywhere from camps that are looking or students to help out, and then there are a number of employers looking for full time workers and students for internships,” Brad Hammer said.
Any and all UF students are welcome to come to job fairs.
The Career and Internship fair is for anyone of any major. But UF also hosts fairs for individual majors such as a health profession fair, a full pharmacy day.
“It is interesting, the ones that we have a specific job fair for, seem to end up as your major is the job that you are going to do,” Hammer said. “For example, if in education, you will be a teacher, and we have a specific job fair for that.”
The Education Expo on March 29 is a job fair sponsored by the Career Centers of seven private universities and colleges in northwest Ohio. That fair will be held at the Koehler Fitness & Recreation Complex.
Students may be wary attending job fairs, as they might not know what is in store for them, but CCPD encourages all students to attend.
“The job fair is good for everyone,” Hammer said. “For underclassmen, it’s a good idea to go and gather information and see what types of opportunities are out there.”
Some big companies that are popular household names attended the fair to meet Findlay students.
Marathon Petroleum Company operates the largest refining system in the United states but is headquartered in Findlay. Many students attend the career and internship fair to see what they have to offer.
“College students are really sought after,” Hammer said. “Part time jobs and internships are good steppingstones for undergrads.”
Many students fill their summers with internships, jobs, and working student positions, which makes job fairs beneficial to both parties.
“More and more organizations recruit interns and utilize their internship program as succession planning for their full-time hires,” Hammer said. “For example, Marathon will typically hire hundreds of interns throughout a year, and they convert about 50% into full time hires. They very rarely bring in anyone that hasn’t been there for an internship.”
Many companies tend to do this, to make sure it is a good fit for both the company, and the employee. Attending the job fairs provide insight for where a student may like to try an internship at a specific company.
“Organizations that are able to build in that succession planning and have a good and developed internship program, have an advantage because many students think that way of getting an internship and gain experience,” Hammer said.
UF junior Samantha Mayer, an equine studies and marketing major, attended the career and internship fair and found companies and opportunities for both of her majors.
“The job fair was great, and I met many employers, and I even got an interview,” Mayer said.
There were both marketing companies and farms present at the fair, catering to both of her majors.
The CCPD recommends that all students attend job fairs to get information and advice for their future endeavors.
There are at least one internship and career fair a semester. For more information on fairs and dates, visit the CCPD.
https://www.findlay.edu/offices/student-affairs/internships/Events
