Hopeful students and local employers gathered in the Gardner Student Center ballroom September 7 for the annual job fair.
A maze of tables lined the room with representatives from 41 employers including Ydraw, Panda Express and Farm Bureau Financial Services. The job fair ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, and hosted over 320 students.
The job fair was hosted by the Career Center, which is where students can get help with resumes, mock interviews and tips to get hired.
Ali Threet, director of career services, said the job fair was the perfect opportunity for students to find employment. The job fair’s success is measured by a survey the Career Center gives to students and employers after the fair.
One thing Threet said she would do differently next year is use tablets for the surveys, since processing paper surveys can be time-consuming.
Austyn Webb, a general education freshman from New Harmony, said she heard about the fair from her cousin who works at the Career Center and also noticed flyers around campus. In hopes of finding a job, Webb said she wanted to know what opportunities were out there.
“Now I have several different options — options I didn’t even know were available,” Webb said.
Michelle Sagar, human resources generalist at Wilson Electronics, was already busy speaking to students about available positions at the company an hour into the event. Sagar sees most of the new hires at Wilson, and said she is impressed with the quality of current and former Dixie State University students. At least 12 DSU alumni have been hired by Wilson Electronics.
Threet said she is confident students who attended the fair came away with multiple job offers.
Threet said she once worked with a student to snag an internship at Charles Schwab. After four interviews, and a lot of practice interviews at the Career Center, he was hired.
Webb said she found the job fair helpful in finding a job.
“As somebody new to the college life, it was great to walk into a room and see all the jobs and careers that are possible,” Webb said.
Webb said students sometimes need help, and the Career Center is a perfect resource.
“The faculty [at the Career Center] cares about us students and want to see us succeed,” she said.
Students can visit the Career Center on the fifth floor of the Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons, or make an appointment by calling 435-652-7737.