Viterbo Students Attend Workforce Career Fair
On February 21, 2017, Career Services and a group of Viterbo students travelled to Milwaukee to attend the Workforce Career and Internship Fair. Career Services offered a free bus ride from campus to the career fair. In total, 28 Viterbo students rode the bus to Milwaukee.
This career fair was exclusively for students from private universities in Wisconsin. It provided an opportunity to meet with over 180 employers to learn about employment and internship opportunities, and Milwaukee's career fair grows larger every year with Viterbo always having a large presence.
Students dressed in business casual, and they brought resumes to make the fair as professional as possible and to create a good impression for possible future employers.
Before attending the event, students were encouraged to go to the Career Fair Prep Fair event, which was held on campus on February 15, 2017. Students dropped in to find out how to make a good first impression, brought in copies of their resumes, confirmed their registration, and researched companies prior to the fair.
Career Services is now planning a career fair of their own, which is expected to occur next fall. This career fair will try to have options for all majors and host many businesses from the area. Viterbo has not had a career fair in over six years, but the student interest seems to be there. This career fair will be much smaller than Milwaukee’s with about 25-30 businesses, but it will have a focus on local businesses.
Career fairs help students find career paths, and businesses get to introduce themselves and collect resumes. For students, the purpose of a career fair is to learn the types of skills that companies are looking for and to see what the market is searching for in employers. Career fairs help teach students how to market themselves. Beth Dolder-Zieke, the director of career services mentioned that one student was recruited by a company in global business.
Ziekealso said, “Employers care more about what you can do as opposed to your specific major.” And ,career fairs teach students how to market the skills that they learn in their majors in order to appeal to specific jobs.
Career Services plans on hosting events throughout the semester to help students learn how to market themselves and how to find and apply for jobs. On March 2, Career Services is pairing up with the Student Alumni Ambassadors Organization to teach students about Purple Briefcase and LinkedIn. Speed Mock Interviews is on March 30, and this allows students to have mini interviews to help prepare them for real interviews. And, on April 20, Student Services will be hosting an Etiquette Dinner to teach professional dining etiquette and networking skills.
Career Services also works with students individually throughout the semester, and the Workforce Career Fair is just one of the semester's events.