Students look toward the future at the Spring Career and Internship Fair

Sheryl Manning and Alison White

Biology major Sheryl Manning talks with HR Director Allison White from TechLab in Blacksburg, Va

Radford University students took their futures in hand on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at the Spring Career and Internship Fair, sponsored by Career Services.

More than 40 employers set up shop in the COBE Multipurpose room to educate students about jobs and internships available to them beyond campus. Students from all majors across campus stopped by to learn about careers in a wide variety of industries.

According to Ellen Taylor, director of Career Services, the students in attendance are making the right moves for their future careers.

"For any student who is looking for an internship or a career, this is the time to do it," said Taylor. "Many of the top positions have approaching deadlines so it's important to start planning now."

This year's Spring Career and Internship Fair was organized to appeal to as broad a group of students as possible and Career Services had success in coaxing employers from around the nation and region to campus.

Participants in the Spring Career Fair, held in the COBE multipurpose room

Participants in the Spring Career Fair, held in the COBE multipurpose room

"It was great this year," Taylor said. "We absolutely maxed out our recruiter capacity and we have a diverse group of employers here. We target a variety of different industries to benefit our students, from criminal justice to government, from healthcare to more corporate positions."

Some of the representatives looking for new talent were Radford graduates themselves. Ryan Ward '09, marketing, and Robert Crossett '06, management, were on hand to speak to students about their company, FedBid, an online marketplace for buyers and sellers in the public and private sectors.

Ward and Crossett were impressed by the students they spoke to during the fair.

"Everybody came in looking very professional," Crossett said. "And we're seeing a lot of juniors and sophomores, as well as seniors. It's good that they're thinking ahead."

"We want some more Radford graduates at our company," Ward said. In addition to representing FedBid, Ward was also thrilled to be back at his alma mater. "This is a great opportunity. For me, it's exciting to come back and see how much Radford has grown, especially COBE."

Many students found themselves speaking with several companies at the career fair. Tristan Lora, a senior criminal justice major from Gainesville, was kept on his toes by the six different police departments in attendance.

Criminal Justice major Tristan Lora talks with Fairfax Police Department's Roy Choe

Criminal Justice major Tristan Lora talks with Fairfax Police Department's Roy Choe

"It's a very good selection of employers and everyone is keeping busy with conversation," Lora said between visits to booths. Lora was especially grateful to Career Services for putting the event on because it connected him with real criminal justice professionals during a key stage of his job search.

"I'm going to try and reach out more to Career Services now because of this event and because I've heard that they are great from so many friends and classmates," Lora said.

Junior psychology major Katie Panther of Springfield attended the fair to get a head start before her final year at Radford.

"I'm here to get more experience speaking to employers," she said, making sure to stop at every display that might interest her in the future. "Right now I'm looking for an internship, but I'm also getting ideas of what might come after Radford."

Another fair will take place this week geared towards education professionals. The Spring Education Career Fair will be held Friday, Feb. 28, in the Peters Hall Gym from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Nearly 50 education employers from around Virginia will be recruiting at the event. Interviews will be held on site from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

As always, the staff of Career Services is available to counsel students with internship and job hunts. In addition to advising sessions by appointment, the office offers Walk-In Résumé Reviews on Mondays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Career services is located in Walker 275.

To keep up with the latest from Career Services, follow the office on Facebook and Twitter.

Feb 26, 2014