Spring Break
Career Fair mutually beneficial for students, employers
Max Lemanowicz
Issue date: 3/31/09 Section: News
ECU held its Spring Career Fair at the Greenville Convention Center Thursday from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Local, state and national career representatives turned out for the event to recruit students and to share some valuable information.
Seventy-seven employers set up booths from a wide variety of fields including healthcare, technology, construction, insurance and retail sales.
"With the 9 percent unemployment rate climbing, the job market still has many placements in the federal, healthcare and technology arenas," said Jim McAtee, interim director of employment at ECU.
"We want students and alumni to know that we and they must stay proactive in this tight job market and that with planning and support, students can succeed in achieving career goals," McAtee said.
"The bottom line is that we want to let our students know that we are here to help them, that they need not be discouraged and that we will do whatever we can to make a good situation out of a really tight economic situation."
Several big name corporations were involved in the fair, including: Sherwin Williams, Applebee's, Geico, Coca-Cola and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina. The Peace Corps, the United States Army, the Greenville Police Department, the ECU Police and the Fayetteville Police also came out to recruit.
"Students need to learn to look beyond what the company does and to start looking [at] what the company needs," McAtee said.
McAtee, along with the ECU Career Center, established a close relationship with many of the employers present at this event, hoping to give students and alumni a distinct advantage over others in the job market.
Alan Aldwell, a sophomore business major, was one of many students who came out hoping to find a job.
"I went and talked with Coca-Cola for a summer job and I'm also out here to get some extra credit for my finance class," said Aldwell.
A worry that many students share can be summed up in a simple question: Am I qualified? With this in mind, students should not be disheartened from applying for their dream job, according to some of the vendors at the fair.
Local, state and national career representatives turned out for the event to recruit students and to share some valuable information.
Seventy-seven employers set up booths from a wide variety of fields including healthcare, technology, construction, insurance and retail sales.
"With the 9 percent unemployment rate climbing, the job market still has many placements in the federal, healthcare and technology arenas," said Jim McAtee, interim director of employment at ECU.
"We want students and alumni to know that we and they must stay proactive in this tight job market and that with planning and support, students can succeed in achieving career goals," McAtee said.
"The bottom line is that we want to let our students know that we are here to help them, that they need not be discouraged and that we will do whatever we can to make a good situation out of a really tight economic situation."
Several big name corporations were involved in the fair, including: Sherwin Williams, Applebee's, Geico, Coca-Cola and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina. The Peace Corps, the United States Army, the Greenville Police Department, the ECU Police and the Fayetteville Police also came out to recruit.
"Students need to learn to look beyond what the company does and to start looking [at] what the company needs," McAtee said.
McAtee, along with the ECU Career Center, established a close relationship with many of the employers present at this event, hoping to give students and alumni a distinct advantage over others in the job market.
Alan Aldwell, a sophomore business major, was one of many students who came out hoping to find a job.
"I went and talked with Coca-Cola for a summer job and I'm also out here to get some extra credit for my finance class," said Aldwell.
A worry that many students share can be summed up in a simple question: Am I qualified? With this in mind, students should not be disheartened from applying for their dream job, according to some of the vendors at the fair.
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