Career and Internships Fairs on April 8th & 15

The month of April holds oppor­tunity for the UWT commu­nity to connect with businesses; the 2015 Spring Career and Internship Fairs will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 8 and 15 in William Phillips Hall (WPH).

Hosted by Career Development twice annually—once in the Fall and once in the Spring—the fairs are structured to provide businesses the opportunity to connect with the students of UWT, the potential future of their companies. As of yet, 55 businesses are registered to attend the Spring fairs; 40 for the all in­dustries fair (the maximum) and 20 for the technology fair, five of which will be in attendance at both. The fairs provide businesses with the opportunity to con­nect with students but also gives students an opportunity to network and expand their scope of career possibilities.

The date for the all industries fair is April 8. Registered businesses range from Target to Ross and Nordstrom to State Farm, just to name a few. The assortment of companies are a well-rounded repre­sentation of those who are looking to connect with UWT students. In the 2014 round of career and internship fairs, over 60 businesses came out to connect with students and several businesses have even returned this year to continue their relationship with the UWT.

The April 15 fair has a more special­ized focus— technology. It reaches out to the information technology students specifically, providing a host of oppor­tunities to network with companies such as Weyerhaeuser, Pierce County Infor­mation Technology, and even the Cen­tral Intelligence Agency. The specific focus of this fair shows the possibility for more career specific fairs and then the need more fairs in general.

Prior to 2011, only one fair was held per year. In years since, the total amount of career and internship fairs have in­creased to four per year. After selling out one of the fairs for the first time this year, Jake Nelko, Career Development Spe­cialist says, “In the future…as the staff grows I would like to do more fairs for… specific industries, but I don’t have the ability to do that right now.” The growth of Career Development could lead to more fairs targeted to other specific in­dustries, opening the door for greater opportunities to network and connect with potential employers.

As for this year’s fair, students can still prepare for a range of opportunities. State Farm recruiter Rashard Fleming says there are a number of positions available, such as Claim Associate at the State Farm here in Tacoma. As an em­ployer they offer paid training, job coaching, professional development and mentoring. Fleming said that he and a recruiting team will be in attendance at the all industries fair on the 8.

For students planning to attend, it is recommended to bring updated resu­més— more than one to be on the safe side and if possible printed on resumé paper. A pocket size notebook could come in handy to keep track of names and details. Also, having something to keep the companies’ business cards in is essential.

Nelko says in regard to attire, “At the very least business casual…for the tech­nology companies…the culture…is a lot more relaxed.” Suit and tie are not recom­mended for the technology fair, yet jeans and a t-shirt aren’t recommended either. While no formal dress code is required to attend either fair, it is expected that those planning to come have the fore­sight to dress accordingly.

Nelko elaborated saying, “Depending on what kind of company you plan on approaching, dress the part…dress for the job that you’re looking for.”