A crucial part of the career-seeking process is networking with potential employers. Connecting with professionals can be a daunting process, especially when students aren’t certain of who to contact or where to begin. The Indiana Means Business career fair will be making networking easier for students to take the first step toward talking to employers from a variety of businesses in Indiana.
“I believe it’s important to go to a career fair because you need to start networking now with employers,” said Morgan Schroeder, a junior organizational management major who aids students in creating resumes and cover letters in the AU Career Development Center. “Most people wait until last minute, but starting now will help you to make that face-to-face connection early and make it easier to get an interview in the future.”
The Indiana Means Business career fair is one of the four career fairs sponsored by the College Career Center Consortium (CCCC) that the AU CDC participates in throughout the year. The CCCC helps to connect AU and thirteen other Indiana colleges with potential employers by hosting career fairs that students and alumni can attend to gain information about recruiters from successful, prominent businesses.
The Indiana Means Business fair is primarily aimed toward students interested in pursuing a career in a business-related field. At least 84 employers will be in attendance at the fair, including major companies such as Simon Property Group, WestPoint Financial Group, Kroger, CVS Health.
“This is a really great opportunity because we have so many schools and businesses participating,” said Schroeder. “There are some really well-known companies that are going to be attending, which means more opportunities to get involved with successful and popular businesses.”
Students who attend will have the opportunity to introduce themselves to recruiters, gain contact information and learn more about a variety of companies. The career fair will also offer opportunities to set up internships and co-op positions, which will help students to gain career-related experience and a higher chance of getting a job position in the future.
Thirteen other Indiana colleges are participating in the event, so students will have a wide variety of employers from across Indiana and beyond to interact with. Alumni and students from Taylor University, Butler University, IUPUI and more will also be in attendance, allowing AU students interested in business to connect with others who have similar interests and career goals.
The Indiana Means Business career fair is an excellent opportunity to begin networking or seeking an internship, and is not the only way students can get started seeking a career before graduation.
“Many students don’t realize that [the CDC] offers so much help in job-seeking and things like resumes, CVs, cover letters and interviews,” said Schroeder. “Anyone who needs to can stop by and have their resume or cover letter looked at and get advice on how to improve it.”
The Career Development Center also offers students the opportunity to schedule one-on-one mock interviews with a career advisor and improve their chances at getting the job they want. Those who are unsure of the career they want to pursue can also take self-assessment tests that analyze personality and interests as well as learn what careers are available and what types of jobs would be a good match for them.
The Career Development Center also sets up multiple career fairs to be held on campus throughout the year as well as those in conjunction with the CCCC, like the Indiana Means Business fair. The career fairs allow students of many different majors and interests to benefit from networking with potential employers.
Upcoming career fairs include the Health Care Career Day on Wednesday Nov. 6, the Collegiate Career Expo on Feb. 23, 2017, and the Science, Technology, and Engineering Career and Internship Fair in January of next year.
In addition, the CDC schedules recruiters to visit AU and connects students with alumni who have found success in the field they are interested in pursuing. Further networking and job-seeking advice can be found on the Raven CareerLink website, which students can use to connect with professionals and employers.
The Indiana Means Business career fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10 at The Westin Indianapolis. Those who would like more information concerning the event or who would like to work on their resume and networking skills are welcome to stop by the Career Development Center in Decker Hall 213 for advice and further information.