Career Fair 2012 boasted over 130 employers, giving many students and alumni the opportunity to network with employers and receive information on potential internships and jobs.
On Thursday, Sept. 20, Career Fair was held in the Pennington Student Activity Center from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
“We’re excited to be here, just to meet Southeastern students,” said John Gernon Glorioso, director of campus recruiting with Northwestern Louisiana Mutual Financial Network. “It’s always great, whether we make a hire or not, just to talk to students, and I feel like it’s going well. Lots of students walking by, lots of people interested, so it’s great.”
Some employers had differing views about the students attending the fair.
“I feel that some of the students seem to be bashful. They walk down the middle of the aisle not interested in some of the booths that may possibly have a job for them,” said Steve Happel, the director of administration with Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center.
Sergeant Cunningham with the U. S. Marine Corps also felt that some students were hesitant to walk up and receive information.
“Overall, I think a lot of kids are kind of scared to come up to us because of what we do, but the kids who are coming up are really smart kids who are really interested in the program,” said Cunningham.
Roseanna Atwell, a senior majoring in family and consumer sciences, noted that she had spoken with a handful of potential employers.
“It’s really different,” said Atwell. “This is my first time coming to a career fair, so it’s kind of cool to be able to meet different employers and talk about internships I could take next semester, and just try to find a potential job.”
Several students found the career fair useful.
“I’ve never actually sat down and had an interview or handed my resume in, and it was good finding out some of the process I’ll be going through when I graduate,” said Adam Lemoine, a senior majoring in industrial technology. “Some companies that I’m really interested in aren’t even here, so I was kind of upset about that, but it’s a pretty good experience. I like it.”
The fair was also a helpful tool for alumni looking for employment.
“I’m very interested, and I’m a general studies major, so I definitely think it’s been helpful, and I’ll come back again next year if I don’t find anything,” said Aimee Chatelain, an alumnus who graduated in general studies.
Some of the recruiters at the fair were also Southeastern alumni.
“It’s a great feeling, being back here to Southeastern,” said Doug Doescher, an alumnus who came to Career Fair with his employers Postlethwaite and Netterville to help recruit. “It is fun getting to see all the faces you used to see, and hopefully they’ll come and join our company.”