Representatives from 59 local and national organizations will recruit students for employment and internship positions at the Saint Mary's annual Showcase of Careers event Thursday.Jeff Roberts, associate director of career opportunities, said Showcase of Careers is the "premiere event" that the Counseling and Career Development Center sponsors."It's a wonderful networking opportunity - a great way of developing contacts and connections and a way for students to explore a wide range of job possibilities in a time efficient manner," Roberts said. Organizations slated to appear include businesses, graduate schools, volunteer organizations and government service programs. AFLAC, Army ROTC, Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Camp Tecumseh YMCA, Kaplan Educational Services and the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) will be among the organizations that will be represented. The number of organizations represented in this year's Showcase is a significant increase from the 38 present during last year's career fair. "It's exciting, because representatives from these organizations will bring hundreds of new opportunities for our students to explore," Roberts said. A resume drop will also be available for those organizations that are unable to send representatives to attend the fair. Before attending the fair, Roberts suggests that students review the C&CDC Web site, which provides a link called "Making the Most of a Career Fair" that contains information about the organizations scheduled to appear and offers tips for ways to approach an employer or graduate school representative. The site also provides students with suggestions for appropriate questions to ask representatives. The C&CDC Web site also has a link to the Saint Mary's Career Workbook which has a chapter called "Job Search Fundamentals" that further outlines the job search process.Another way for students to prepare for the Showcase is to attend a workshop that will expand on the topic of job search essentials. Workshops will be in the West Wing of The Noble Family Dining Hall from 12:30 to 1 p.m. and 5:30 to 6 p.m. today. Roberts advises juniors and seniors who plan to utilize the career fair to make connections with potential employers to bring copies of their resumes and to dress in formal business attire. Underclassmen who will use the fair as a way to learn more about future career opportunities should be prepared to ask questions about ways they can begin to take steps to become more qualified job applicants. Roberts said these students should dress in business casual attire. In addition to learning more about career and graduate school possibilities, students can meet and make connections with Saint Mary's alumnae, who will represent at least ten of the organizations. "In tight economic times, networking is one of the keys for success in the job search," Roberts said. The C&CDC invites all Saint Mary's, Notre Dame and Holy Cross students who wish to seek information about post-graduate opportunities to attend the career fair. Saint Mary's senior Michelle Biersmith, who plans to attend the fair said, "It's a good opportunity to see what's out there, to make connections with alumnae and to get a feel for what job opportunities are available."The career fair will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. in LeMans Hall.
