The spring career and internship fair is set to be held this Thursday in Franklin Hall from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Career and internship fairs have been at the college for decades but lacking the competent of versatility–many events of the past have tendencies to focus on a specified field of careers. However, this year marks the second annual spring fair that encompasses a broad variety of majors, disciplines, and interests.
Director of career services Leslie Holden encouraged all students to attend, as she anticipates the spring 2025 fair to be one of great opportunities.
“Right now, we are at over 65 employers,” she said. “There is probably something out there for everyone, and it is a great opportunity to come out, explore, and find new opportunities.”
With the first multidisciplinary career and internship fair attracting almost half of the student population, Holden hopes this event will also be a popular one on campus.
“I have attached the list of employers who are coming to an email that every student has received,” she explained. “And it also includes their industry, skills they are seeking, majors, what they are recruiting, and a short description of the company.”
With many incentives for students to attend offered by athletic and academic faculty, the reasons to attend are numerous.
“We at the career development office have great collaboration between the athletic staff and professors,” Holden said. “They are really helpful in encouraging students to go. There may even be a competition for attendance between sports teams, and some professors have even turned the event into an assignment that constitutes for class credit.”
Hosting the event has been a collaborative event between departments at the college as well, with Holden, Director of Alumni and Family Programs Tracy Holley and the staff of the Carter Center.
Holden herself has even held resume-writing and career fair preparation sessions in order to help students make the most of this opportunity. The next session is set to be held today at 11:30 a.m. in the Stanley Library.
If interested but unable to attend, Holden encourages students to make an individual appointment with her, or get started through Hiration, a resume-building program offered to Ferrum students.
“In self-service, the students can find Hiration, which is a professional resume-building program,” she offered. “They can not only just use that, but actually request a professional review, which would send their product to me, where I can then assist them, too.”
Also within preparation for the fair, Holden encourages students to bring their resumes, dress appropriately, and practice a 2-3 minute elevator speech to make the right first impression with potential employers. Some employers may even take resumes on-site.
“My number one advice would be to have them look through the list of employers and decide which ones that they might want to seek out, and prepare accordingly,” said Holden.
The career and internship fair has offers chances at more than just full-time positions, too.
“In addition to employers seeking full-time employees, they’re also looking for interns and people to hire for the summer,” reports Holden.
Holden hopes that every student will mark their calendars and take advantage of the fair.
“They could open the door to their next chapter in life,” she said.
