On Oct. 24, the University of Oregon Career Center hosted its Fall Career and Internship Expo from noon to 4 p.m. in the Erb Memorial Union Ballroom. There was also a preview workshop held from 11:15 a.m. to noon.
The UO Career Center hosts the event once per term. Students of various years and majors came to the event and 73 employers attended. Employers set up tables in the ballroom with information about their organization and to speak with students. Students were encouraged to bring their resumes to the event with them.
“Employers come to campus because they want to recruit students for internships or jobs, or sometimes they’re just here to tell them about their industry or what they do,” Paul Timmins, executive director of the UO Career Center, said. “It’s a place both for students who are job searching or looking for an internship right now, or for people that are learning about careers and wanting to explore possible options.”
The 73 employers that attended the event came from various industries, including but not limited to Amica Mutual Insurance Company, Edustaff and the Portland Police Bureau.
Nonprofit, for-profit businesses and government organizations were in attendance, as well as charitable organizations such as the Peace Corps.
“Some people leave with good job leads, but it’s really just a good opportunity to practice talking with an employer and getting used to what it takes to do that,” Timmins said.
According to Timmins, approximately 750 students attend the Expo each term, and many of the attendees are juniors and seniors, but all years are encouraged to attend.
“We have some employers that are coming to continue sharing the word about their organization, so even though you’re a first-year student or a sophomore, they want you to be thinking about them when you’re a junior or a senior,” Timmins said.
Isaac Webb is a freshman who attended the Expo to explore potential future careers after graduation.
“I’m mainly just here to kind of see what jobs are out there after my college experience,” Webb said. “My main thing is [to] get myself out there [and] see what careers I might possibly be interested in and learn what careers I could go into.”
Hanna Wales is a senior who attended the Expo and said she is hoping to “look for a career.”
“I’m hoping to gain insight on where to get jobs and look into my future and invest in it,” Wales said. “I really looked into my resume, made sure it was all up to my standard and I really wanted to make sure I was prepared.”
Aidan Routzon is another senior who attended the Expo. Routzon is a business administration major with a concentration in operations and business analytics, and an ethics minor.
“I was messaging with one of the recruiters on LinkedIn, and I have been for the past couple of months. Multiple companies I had been in contact with said they were going to be here,” Routzon said. “It felt like a good networking opportunity, and to kind of get an idea of what I maybe want to do next year. I updated my resume and went through a practice elevator pitch, you know, talking to yourself, that kind of thing.”
The next Career Center event, BizCareers in Outdoor, Apparel and Sustainability, is scheduled for Nov. 7 in Lillis Hall.
