The Career Development Center has a record number of
recruiters (85) lined up for the 21st annual Career Festival on Thursday,
Sept. 30, in Memorial Fieldhouse. About 500 students are expected to
visit.
What the CDC wants now is faculty.
Recruiters, like the students who will be visiting them,
are looking to do some networking of their own, explains Shelly
Shinebarger, assistant director of the CDC. “The recruiters want to
talk to faculty to get the inside loop,” she says. “They want to
learn about the students, their classes, their projects.
“At the same time, faculty can talk to the
recruiters and learn what they are looking for in students,” she
says.
While fall is usually the busiest recruiting time for
tech employers, who want to get early commitments from students, the CDC
has reserved tables for non-profits, government and publishing, which
usually don't hire until the spring, Shinebarger says.
As in the past, the buzzword is internships, she adds.
Employers are looking for students who have had professional experience
within their field.
And as if the lure of a potential career isn't enough,
the Marines are offering helicopter rides over campus. But only to those
who have visited the Career Festival. “That was my stipulation,”
says Shinebarger.