Spring Break
Career Center expects thousands to attend today's job expo
Zakk Jones
Daily Staff Writer
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The SJSU Career Center's Web site reports that the fair is open to all from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
According to Jill Dinnebier-Perez, career consultant at the Career Center, the fair is an opportunity for students to explore possible career paths, build a network with potential employers that can be followed up on after graduation and hopefully acquire a job or internship.
"I think (students) can gain a lot of exposure to the types of opportunities that are out in the field of their majors," Dinnebier-Perez said.
The companies, she said, will be coming to recruit students for internships, summer jobs, part-time jobs and full-time jobs.
Dinnebier-Perez said thousands of students are expected to attend the event, where employers from the high-tech, retail, health care and financial services industries will be present.
"All industries are pretty much covered at the event," Dinnebier-Perez said.
The Career Center's Web site lists companies such as IBM Corp., Sun Microsystems and Lockheed Martin Corp. among the companies present at the expo.
Dinnebier-Perez says that employers at the fair primarily look for students who can present themselves and communicate in a professional manner.
"It all comes down to how you market yourself at the event," she said. "The employers are really looking for the students that stand out."
Dinnebier-Perez also said students should be well-dressed and have a good resume.
According to Dinnebier-Perez, students have been preparing in the weeks leading up to the expo by attending resume clinics, where they learned how improve their resumes and target them at specific jobs.
Additionally, said expo coordinator Margaret Wilkes, students engaged in resume critiquing and role-playing exercises for what Wilkes calls a "one-minute commercial," which is how students introduce themselves and provide their resumes to employers.
According to the Career Center's Web site, students who attended the resume clinics received an Expo Express Pass, which grants them access to the expo from as early as 1 p.m., two hours before the expo is open to all students.
Wilkes estimates that the fair is in its 35th year and is pleased with the success of the event.
"We're very, very pleased with the number of employers that are coming, considering the tight job market," she said. "It speaks well to how employers feel about San Jose State students and graduates."
Wilkes said students interested in learning how to conduct themselves at a job interview can attend one of two interview workshops being held after the event.
According to Wilkes, the workshops will prepare students for job interviews by going over what will be covered at the interview and what questions may be asked, as well as assisting students in addressing any possible nervousness going into an interview.
Wilkes likened walking into an interview unprepared to "walking into a midterm without studying."
The interview workshops will be held at the Career Center on March 10 from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. and on March 11 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
