Career Fair Draws Over 400 Students
By Greg Lagorio
Salem, Mass., March 11, 2016 — On March 3, 2016, Salem State University held its 2016 Career Fair at the Gassett Fitness Center Gym and it went “very well,” according to Angelique Kim, the associate director for career services at Salem State.
Students and teachers filled up the fitness center to meet with representatives of the 136 organizations who showed up, including Bank of America, Enterprise, and the United States Army. Over 420 students from the university attended, Kim reported. With all of the companies, organizations and students, this year’s career fair was the largest the school has ever had, she said.
Organizations and companies such as Enterprise, Century Bank, and Home Depot lined up their tables to talk to students of Salem State at the Career Fair on Thursday, March 3, 2016. Photo: Greg Lagorio
A sign-in table was set up in front of the hockey rink entrance, and students were given a tag so companies could get to know their potential future employees.
Students who attended said they really appreciated the effort.
“Being a senior and graduating soon, the career fair is a great way to get my name out there to some companies. I am glad Salem State set this up for their students,” said Matt Kelly, a senior Criminal Justice major who will be graduating in the spring.
The majority of the students at the career fair were seniors, but also underclassmen showed up to talk to and see what the organizations could bring them. The university made it very easy for their students to maneuver throughout the fair with a cell phone app called “ Salem State Career Fair Plus”. The app helped students find the organizations they were looking for by giving them a layout map of the fitness center. The app also had the full list of organizations and companies that were in attendance.
“Employers commented on how impressed they were with the event and on how well prepared the students were and that they couldn’t be happier with the amount of young students that were aggressively pursuing opportunities with their companies,” Kim noted in an email to the Viking Voice.
The students seemed to be very interested learning about companies and organizations for whom they might one day may work.
“I think this is a great opportunity for students. I hope one day that I can work for the Massachusetts State Police, and what better way to get some experience and more knowledge than talking to them,” senior Ben Kendrew noted.
The university was fully prepared for the amount of students that showed up, according to Kim.
“The campus community commented that from a ‘new persons’ perspective, they were impressed with how many organizations were in attendance, and how well-run the entire event was,” she said.
Volunteers were clearly identifiable, wearing orange shirts, and helping students if they had any questions.
Madelyn WIlliams, who will also be graduating in the spring said she was glad she attended.
“I’m glad I got to get my name out there. I didn’t get a chance to talk to all 136 organizations, but the ones I did talk to, I feel like I learned a lot,” she said.
Kendrew didn’t walk away from the fair with State Police job but, he noted, he got “the opportunity to get closer to my dream.”
