Career fair for LAS students is a success

Students from almost 50 majors attend first-of-its-kind event

Neha Akella, left, a senior in biochemistry, spoke with a potential employer at the ACES + LAS Career Fair. (Photo by Jesse Wallace.)
Neha Akella, left, a senior in biochemistry, spoke with a potential employer at the ACES + LAS Career Fair. (Photo by Jesse Wallace.)

Organizers of the ACES + LAS Career Fair at Illinois, held earlier this month, wanted to try something new: An LAS career fair devoted to connecting students in the liberal arts and sciences with potential employers. The result? It brought together more LAS students and companies than any other campus career fair in recent years.

Brian Neighbors, director of career development in LAS Student Academic Affairs and a chief organizer for the event along with Patricia Simpson, director of career services in the School of Chemical Sciences, said almost 750 LAS students from 47 majors attended the fair, which was also attended by representatives from more than 130 companies.

The fair was also attended by students in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES), which collaborated with LAS to host the fair at the Activities and Recreation Center. 

Attendance by LAS students at the ACES + LAS Career Fair was larger than the total number of LAS students who attended campus career fairs in all of 2017 (in the past, LAS students have attended campus career fairs, but not one publicized as being related to LAS). The number of employers was also larger than at similar events in the past; for example, 34 more employers attended the ACES + LAS Career Fair than the 2017 ACES & Sciences Career Fair.

Watch a video highlighting the fair produced by LAS.

Neighbors said the fair was initiated in part by LAS students, who have requested for some time that the college have its own career fair.

 

About 750 LAS students, and more from the College of ACES, attended the ACES + LAS Career Fair, which was also attended by more than 130 companies. (Photo by Jesse Wallace.)
About 750 LAS students, and more from the College of ACES, attended the ACES + LAS Career Fair, which was also attended by more than 130 companies. (Photo by Jesse Wallace.)

He added that while one goal of the fair was to create job opportunities and generate interviews for students, another key goal was learning and development-related—that is, providing students the experience of preparing for and meeting potential employers. Through efforts such as the Life + Career Design Initiative, LAS has been placing more emphasis on helping students imagine, engage, and connect their learning experiences.

Neighbors said career fairs allow students to develop relationships and networks with future employers, with some recruiters often coming back to campus multiple times.

“One of the key factors we want to work on with students is experiential learning and gaining experience outside of the classroom that help them complement their learning,” Neighbors said.

Beth Ladd, director of the Caterpillar Data Innovation Lab, attended the fair and said she was looking for students from all majors across campus. She appreciated that she had more time to make connections with students in LAS and ACES at the fair. Neelambari Ghare, university relations recruiter for John Deere, said the fair helped the company as it planned to interview 60 students after the event.

“I think there’s a reason why we come to this university every year. We definitely get a lot of talent,” he said. “We have a lot of positions in the Midwest, and this is one of the top schools we recruit from.”

Amy Houser, a senior in chemistry, prepared for the fair by researching the companies, their openings, and their history.

“The nerves are definitely there,” she said, during the event, “but I prepared a lot so I’m hoping to make a good impression.”

Diana Cahro, a senior in statistics, said she attended the fair not only for a job lead but to get some information and experience that would help with her career search.

“I want a job, or to get some information on what jobs are available for people in my career path, what they’re looking for, and what I can get out of them,” she said. “I’d also like to gain some interpersonal skills, like how to speak with people in really short time frames.”

The LAS Alumni Association helped sponsor the event.

"We feel that it's something with longevity that gives LAS students a chance to have their own career fair and advance their career opportunities," said Eryn Schneider (BS, '09, chemical and biomolecular engineering), a member of the LAS Alumni Board.

News Source

Heather Schlitz and Dave Evensen

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