Katie Samek-
The Minnesota Private Colleges’ Job & Internship Fair has come back for the spring semester, and the Career Development Center (CDC) once again invites all current Gustavus undergraduate students to attend. This event will be held on Thursday, Feb. 22nd from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The college is offering free bus transportation to and from the event to all students who sign up via Handshake before Friday, Feb. 16th, so sign up now to secure your spot on the bus if you need transportation.
If you are taking transportation provided by the college, the busses will leave Gustavus at 7:30 a.m. from Three Crowns Circle and return to campus around 3:45 p.m. Students intending to take the bus to this event must sign up via Handshake before February 16th to ensure a guaranteed seat, or they will have to provide their own transportation to and from this event.
As was true with the fall event of the same name, the Minnesota Private Colleges’ Job & Internship Fair is a networking and hiring event exclusive to the 18 Minnesota private colleges, in which over 250 different businesses and organizations from across the state of Minnesota seek to connect with (and potentially hire) college students for both internship and full-time job positions. Several career clusters will be represented by the various vendors, including business, finance, government and human services, healthcare, agriculture, marketing and sales, STEM, information technology, and many more. For a full list of vendors, go to www.mnpcfair.org, find the “Students” tab in the toolbar, and click on “Organizations at the Fair” in the drop-down menu.
New to the event this year, the Center for Career Development is partnering with Gustavus Women in Leadership (GWiL) to offer a free luncheon for students at the fair as an extra opportunity to network with Gustavus alumni. Interested students can sign up with the link provided under the “Show More” section of the Handshake page detailing the job fair event (copy + paste the link provided into your web browser of choice). All students who have signed up to attend the Job & Internship Fair are welcome to sign up for the luncheon, regardless of their chosen method of transportation or sign-up date.
For students interested in attending the event, Jill VanOsdol from the Career Development Center has helpfully provided a list of items that students should bring along with them to the event.
“Students should expect to bring 20+ printed copies of their current resume, as well as a folder of some sort to keep these resumes inside – as well as any pamphlets or other paperwork that they may receive at the event,” VanOsdol said. “The Book Mark offers Padfolios for purchase that would work well for this purpose. Also recommended are a pen and notepad to take notes with, as laptops and other large personal devices are discouraged.”
Along with these useful items, Janeen Swenson from the Career Development Center has some useful tips for students to help them succeed in their interviews and networking.
“Dress nicely for this event,” Swenson said. “You’ll be making a lot of first impressions today, and you’ll want to look professional when interacting with potential employers. A coat rack will be provided in the student lounge, so you will be able to wear your coat inside the convention center. However, there will be no secure places to store personal items, so consider keeping your bags and other small items to a minimum, as you’ll have to carry them around with you all day. Bringing backpacks and/or laptops along is discouraged for this reason.”
Career fairs can be daunting to navigate for students who have never attended before, but the benefits of attending are innumerable. From building connections with future employers to securing an internship, from networking with Gustavus alumni in your field to finding your dream job, the Minnesota Private Colleges’ Job & Internship Fair is an excellent opportunity for students to pursue their career aspirations and start building a plan for life after college.
“Internships are an excellent opportunity for students to experience what a certain job field has to offer,” VanOsdol said. “They can help you develop your resume, decide if a career path is right for you, gain valuable skills and work experience, learn from others, and make connections; not just with people you might be working with someday, but also professionals in your field that you can reach out to for advice and employment opportunities.”