Career Fair helps students find direction

Come prepared for an interview

Students looking for a job or an internship should have their résumés ready Oct. 20, when the California State University Sacramento, Career Center will hold its bi-annual career fair at the University Ballroom in the University Union.

The fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Over 100 companies will attend the fair seeking potential employees. Though some are here just to make themselves visible, others are actively searching for employees, according to Carol Williams, the manager of the experiential education program at the Career Center.

This is a golden opportunity for graduating seniors to see what’s out there, and maybe even get that dream job right out of college. Students should contact the Career Center before attending the fair for participation requirements. But Williams says this can also be beneficial for freshmen and other underclassmen.

Employers are anxious to talk to students, according to Williams.

“Students need to be assertive,” Candace McGee, the experiential education assistant said. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Be confident and have a good attitude.”

The companies listed to participate at the career fair are as diverse as the majors offered at CSUS. The companies range from private sector to government and non-profit organizations. Representatives from IBM, Hewlett Packard, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wells Fargo, Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Center, San Jose Police Department, CSUS Foundation, and many others, will have information.

“Some employers have jobs to offer,” Williams said. “Students should treat this as a job interview. Be prepared, bring résumés, and dress accordingly.”

Williams and McGee both recommend that students drop by the Career Center to get help from their counselors on how to prepare for and impress a potential employer.

Williams said that employers like coming to this fair because they like CSUS students. “We estimate that two-thirds of the companies that come each year are regulars that have come for at least the last four years,” Williams said.

The Career Center has a sheet with tips on what to do before, during, and after the career fair so students are prepared and know what to anticipate from the companies.

Flawless résumés are essential

Students planning on submitting a résumé to companies participating in the career fair have a new convenient way of submitting it on-line to allow companies to download it before the fair.

The service is called Résumé Link and it is a free service provided by the Career Center at California State University Sacramento, especially for the career fair.

Candace McGee, the experiential education program assistant at the Career Center, was in charge of setting up the service.

“This is the first university on the west coast to provide this new service to its students,” McGee said. “This program is easy to use, very user- friendly.”

The procedure for posting the résumé is fast and simple. Students can go to the Web site www.resume-link.com/res/col/evt/reg/csus.htm, where they’ll find a screen with the name of CSUS across the top.

At the bottom there’s a login and a frequently-asked questions link.

Click on login, and a screen requesting a user name and password will appear. For new users, fill out the new user form to register. Students do not need any special knowledge or computer skills to upload résumés. The program will do it by itself; just follow directions.

If help is requred, there are directions given in the program, or if any questions arise regarding the program, students can call McGee at the Career Center.

Only the companies attending the career fair at the Union Ballroom can access this site. With advance résumés, potential employers can make arrangements to talk tothe students they are interested in personly at the fair. This service is paid for with fees provided by companies attending the fair.

Though this service will be open for students to post their résumés until Oct. 19, participating companies will be able to access them for up to six months after the fair.

In addition, for future reference, companies will receive a computer diskette with a copy of all the résumés posted.

McGee says that this service will be of great benefit to students who will not be able to attend the career fair. Once their résumés are posted, interested companies can contact the student via email.

Though the service’s main focus is helping graduating seniors find a job in their career field, it’s also useful for those students who are interested in internships.