70 companies present at expo

The pouring rain didn’t stop 302 students from attending the Fall 2008 Career Expo Aug. 22. Brandishing their umbrellas and straightening their ties, students met more than 70 companies to establish networking connections and land internships, part-time and full-time positions in Jacksonville.

It all began with CareerWings, the Web site designed to help students find recruiting employers.

There are between 2,000 and 3,000 employers registered on the site for the purpose of bringing jobs solely to UNF students, said Jocelynn Heck, events marketing coordinator for Career Services.

“There are so many companies that you just don’t normally think of that aren’t on an ad or TV … but offer an awesome job or opportunity for growth,” Heck said.

And students don’t have to worry about their major causing potential limitations that stifle growth, Heck said.

“They’re just looking for someone that has a good education and is willing to learn,” said Career Services Director Rick Roberts.

Heck said employers check applicants from all majors when they are seeking to hire someone new.

“It looks like there’s opportunities for just about anybody,” said Kevin Lira, senior marketing major. “The more you talk to [the recruiters], the more you’ll find out.”

The information students gain from the companies can be just as appealing as gaining a position, said Shannon Italia, director of the Career Management Center of the Coggin College of Business.

“Sometimes it’s hard to know what you want to be if you don’t know what’s out there,” Italia said. “So you can come to this event and learn about what companies are here, what they’re looking for and what jobs exist. That can help you too as you’re exploring what you want to do, whether that’s to decide to declare a particular major, or if you’re in a major like management or psychology that’s pretty broad, it might help you narrow your focus.”

Students miss out on the great networking and potential career opportunities if they assume Career Expo is not for them, Roberts said.

“Students wait until their senior year, and sometimes it’s too late to do a lot of the planning that’s needed like getting internships,” Roberts said. “By coming as a freshman, sophomore or even a junior, they can talk to some of these employers and really find out what they’re looking for. [That way], they can put it together before they graduate.”

Out of the 16,000 students enrolled at UNF, only 400-500 students attend the expos, Italia said.

“Don’t wait,” she said. “So many times we hear from students that have graduated that come back and say, ‘I wish I had done this while I was still a student here.’”

The Career Expo occurs three times a year – once in the fall and twice in the spring.

The next expo is scheduled for Jan. 22.

Career services programs

“We’re one of the offices [where] conceivably every individual student on this campus would be able to use one of our services.” –Rick Roberts

• The STAR Program is a program which offers seminars, workshops and events to students who wish to improve their employability skills.

• The Career Discoveries Program offers activities such as Explore-A-Major Fair, workshops, peer advisement, counseling and career assessments to help students discover in their freshman or sophomore year what major would be best.

• Job Search Counseling includes career counselor staff in all five colleges that help critique resumes, show students where to search for a job and bring in staff to give practice interviews.

E-mail Rebecca McKinnon at staff3@unfspinnaker.com.