By: James Berridge, Lions Eye Staff Writer, Jrb1055@psu.edu
A lot of time during a student’s senior year is spent on job and internship searching. Penn State Brandywine hosted its bi-semester career fair for business, communications, and information systems technology majors in order to help with just that.
The career fair on Wednesday, March 25, invited a variety of businesses in the area to join the Brandywine campus in hopes of providing students with job and internship opportunities. Students were asked to wear professional dress and come prepared, with resume in hand, so they could meet as many companies as possible in the short time allotted.
The companies that participated in the career fair included Unites States Liability Insurance, Intern U, Stratus Interactive, Pennoni Associates, Almac Group, Penn State Great Valley, Evolve IP, 101.1 More FM radio, Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry and WSFS Bank.
Internships are very important for college students. Besides the fact that most majors here at Penn State require an internship in order to graduate, they also provide the student with certain lessons that can only be learned in the professional environment. Plus, they can be a great start to a potential full time job.
“I already fulfilled my internship requirement to graduate this semester, but I view an internship as another opportunity for your career,” Paula Scott, a senior corporate communications major, said.
“The more interning you can get under your belt, the more you learn about your major and the better your resume looks.”
Scott also attended the career fair for possible job opportunities and leads.
“Most college seniors do not have a full-time job lined up for them as soon as they graduate, so career fairs are a great way to get your resume out there and get the ball rolling,” Scott said.
Attending career fairs can also be very beneficial to the companies that are looking to hire. career fairs are able to provide potential employers with a face that matches his or her resume. For this reason, it is important to dress professionally. Though career fairs are very beneficial, they can be short. It is important to have one’s resume updated, review background on companies that one wishes to visit during the fair, write a cover letter to share with potential businesses, and show confidence. A good first impression is very important.
Kate Wysocki, event coordinator and PSU Brandywine’s career counseling specialist, helped make this event happen and deserves a big “Thank you,” from all attendees of the PSU Brandywine Career Fair. It was a great success, and hopefully, it continues to gain popularity in the future.