GCSU hosted its Career and Graduate School Fair on Wednesday, March 26, in the Centennial Center from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
GCSU students dressed in their business-professional wear and brought with them 10 copies of their resumes in hopes of making a lasting first impression on recruiters and graduate schools.
At the entrance to the event, students checked in to the event using a QR code and then could have free headshots taken by the GCSU career center. They were then given a sheet with the names of all the companies and schools in attendance and where they were located on the Centennial gym floor.
“We put on the career and graduate fair every semester,” said Brooke Groves, a career peer advisor for the GCSU Career Center. “We do it for students to be able to find internships, full-time job positions, even just for networking opportunities.”
Students are encouraged to attend the fair after researching the companies and schools in attendance to be better prepared for conversations with recruiters and admission staff.
“I would definitely tell them to make sure you come with plenty of resumes already made,” Groves said. “Visit the Career Center to get your resume reviewed and just make sure that you are being approachable to employers and talking to as many people as you can.”
Recruiters such as Auto-Owners Insurance Company, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, Bankers Life, C.H. Robinson, Central Garden and Pet, Clayton County Public Schools, Georgia State Patrol, Gwinnett Police Department, Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Jackson and Coker were present at the fair.
The Georgia Department of Human Services also had a table with a recruiter who answered any and all questions students had.
“We are the second largest state agency with a little less than 10,000 employees,” said Tiamakia Bray, a recruiter for DHS. “We have three divisions and about eight administrative offices. In our division of agent services, what we do is target our senior population. So if there are reports of abuse and neglect, our case managers will go out and do an investigation.”
Each table provided informational flyers, pamphlets and business cards for students to grab and use for reference on each company or school’s mission and focus.
The companies in attendance also gave away plenty of company-branded swag to student attendees. There were lip balms, notepads, sticky-notes, stickers, backpacks, cups, pens and sunglasses.
Some students, especially sophomores and juniors, showed up in between classes just to see what was offered for future job searches.
Schools from all across Georgia were in attendance such as Emory University, Morehouse School of Medicine, Life University, LaGrange College, Mercer University- School of Law and School of Medicine and Piedmont University.
The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and Central State Hospital Recruiters were in attendance looking for social workers, psychologists, physician assistants and nurses to meet the needs of their patients. They were looking for candidates to fill these positions as soon as possible.
“We are a hospital, more of a forensic hospital, and our individuals here are court-ordered to be in our facility,” said Charlotte Pearson, a Central State Hospital recruiter. “Again, these are individuals with mental issues, so there has to be more so that it’s not, you’re not afraid to be around this type of person.”
Students who attended the career fair spent their time speaking with recruiters and learning about each company’s open positions and where to apply, as well as making business connections through LinkedIn.
The Career and Graduate Fair helped students build their networking skills and find potential employers in fields they may not have explored.