As the economy slows and unemployment rates rise, soon-to-be college graduates are being forced to ask a question they may not have anticipated when they entered college: What will I do after graduation?
In order to help students decide what to do next, the University Career Center is holding its Fall Career Fair today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the EMU.
Representatives from dozens of corporations, government agencies, nonprofit organizations and graduate schools will be present at the fair distributing information, handing out applications and in some cases interviewing potential employees. The fair will offer career-minded students a chance to get a jump on the job market, according to Mei Yong, marketing and communications director for the Career Center.
Yong, who is coordinating the fair, said that while there are about 30 percent fewer companies than average at this year’s fair, the ones present will be hiring.
“A lot of companies have instituted a hiring freeze at this point,” she said. “But recruiters (at the fair) are seriously looking for employees.”
Ted Hawksford, human resources director for Aramark, one of the companies that will be present at the fair, agrees that students looking seriously for work have a chance of getting a job. Like many other corporations that will be present at the fair, Aramark is looking to fill administrative and sales positions, Hawksford said, but students shouldn’t hold out hope for an immediate position with the company, which supplies uniforms and career apparel to thousands of businesses nationwide.
Hawksford said that due to the sluggish economy and its effect on sales, Aramark would forgo its traditional practice of hiring fall and winter term graduates to start work immediately.
“We will hire people in the spring,” he said. “But right now we’re going to save our resources so we can expand when the economy picks up.”
However, Aramark’s misfortune may translate into good luck for others. Skye Sieber, Peace Corps campus representative for the University, said corporations are hiring less right now
and that will make the Peace Corps seem like a better option to students who wouldn’t normally consider working for the group.
“With the sluggish economy, I think we’ll see people looking elsewhere for opportunities,” she said. “I think we will be on more people’s radar.”
Sieber added that unlike corporations, whose hiring practices are dictated by profits, the Peace Corps will be hiring as many people as apply.
“We have a lot of requests from French-speaking countries for people with a background in French,” Sieber said. “There are a lot of opportunities out there, and even for people who are on a traditional career path, this looks good on a résumé.”
In addition to non-profit organizations, Yong said many students might also consider graduate school as an alternative to the private job market. The fair will include representatives from schools across the country — particularly law schools. But Yong said that regardless of what students choose to pursue at the fair, they should come prepared.
“Students should prep themselves by doing research on companies,” Yong said. “And it never hurts to polish up your résumé and dress professionally.”