Earning a degree from the School of Informatics and Computing is about big goals, big dreams, and building a big future. It’s also about big opportunities.
SoIC welcomed a record-shattering number of companies and potential employees to the fall Career Fair, which was held at the Bloomington Convention Center Sept. 8. The event included face-to-face meetings between candidates and corporate recruiters, and hundreds of next-day interview sessions.
“We heard great feedback from students and employers about the fair,” said Kate Caldwell, the director of Career Services for SoIC. “Employers were not only impressed with the number of students they saw but also the quality of the candidates. Our students were well-prepared to talk with the employers, and many secured next-day interviews.”
The 1,457 students who participated in the Career Fair was a record and an increase of more than 300 over the 2015 event. Recruiters from a record 100 companies, including Fifth Third Bank, Smithville Fiber, AT&T, Cigna, General Electric, General Motors, and a host of others, were on hand to discuss full-time employment and internships with SoIC students.
“The fair is one of the best tools we can offer our students to make important and valuable career decisions,” said Ellen Rodkey, the senior associate director of Career Services and the coordinator of the event. “During the Career Fair, our students take their first steps toward meaningful employment by meeting with employers face-to-face to exchange information. The Career Fair truly marks the beginning of our students’ journey to their eventual careers.”
The Career Fair also included employers on more than one floor of the Convention Center, a sign of the expansion of the event as well as an effort to give attendees more comfort.
The Fair capped off a week of events designed to promote SoIC students and prepare them for their job search. Career Services organized eight employer information sessions, an employer-faculty reception, a Resume Review Blitz in which employers critiqued student resumes prior to the event, and an Accelerator reception, which gave companies in the Accelerator Corporate Giving Program a chance to meet with select undergraduate students.
The attendees at the fair made an impact. Employers raved about the initiative of the students, who took control of conversations and were well-prepared with solid resumes and good questions.
“This was a great career fair,” said one recruiter. “I’ve been coming for eight years, and not only was it the greatest quantity of students, it was the best quality as well. We talked to dozens of students who would be great fits for us.”
Students will have another opportunity to put their best foot forward during the Spring Career Fair, which is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2017. For more information, visit the Career Services website.