The USF Career Center’s spring 2013 career fair series begins Jan.25, with the Accounting Career Fair, and continues on Jan. 30 with the All Majors Career Fair and Jan. 31 with the Science, Technology and Engineering Career Fair.
The career fairs bring representatives from dozens of potential employers, searching to fill full-time, co-op and internship positions for jobs requiring everything from financial know-how to physics.
In this feature, we’ll be taking a look at 2013’s career fairs by the numbers to discover what fields and majors have the most opportunities, what kind of companies are being represented and what majors might wish to look elsewhere for career assistance.
By the Numbers:
Represented Majors in Order of Employers Present
(Minus positions applicable to “all majors”)
Computer Science and Engineering 14 Employers
Electrical Engineering 12 Employers
General Business 10 Employers
Mechanical Engineering 9 Employers
Information Technology (IT) 9 Employers
Marketing 9 Employers
Management 9 Employers
Economics 8 Employers
Chemical Engineering 6 Employers
Finance 6 Employers
Communications 5 Employers
Accounting 5 Employers
International Business 5 Employers
Civil and Environmental Engineering 4 Employers
Industrial and Management Systems Engineering 4 Employers
Business Economics 4 Employers
Management Information Systems (MIS) 4 Employers
Mathematics 3 Employers
Chemistry 2 Employers
Hotel and Restaurant Management 2 Employers
Advertising 2 Employers
Criminology 1 Employer
English 1 Employer
Mass Communications 1 Employer
Physics 1 Employer
Biomedical Sciences 1 Employer
Biology 1 Employer
Microbiology 1 Employer
Most Represented Industries
Financial Services 10 Employers
Insurance 8 Employers
Retail 7 Employers
Sales 4 Employers
Technology 4 Employers
Education 4 Employers
Most Desired Position Types
Full-time position 64 Employers
Internship 27 Employers
Co-Op 1 Employer
The Jan.30 “All Majors” fair will feature 55 employers, while more focused “Science, Technology and Engineering” fair will feature 25 employers Jan. 31.
Thirty-eight employers will be surveying for positions applicable to all majors, representing more than half of the fair’s employers. “All Majors” employers will only be present at the Jan. 30 “All Majors” fair.
“By the Numbers” employer information taken from here.
Kelly Rzeszut, the USF Career Center’s special events coordinator, clarified what employers will be looking for at the “All Majors” fair.
“It’s the companies that are looking to hire all majors. That doesn’t necessarily mean that there will be companies for every single major, but we have a lot of companies that aren’t looking for majors,” Rzeszut said. “They’re looking for skill sets and personality types.”
Rzeszut said past career fairs have brought in thousands of students, and much of the fairs’ positive feedback comes not from the students, but the companies that hire them.
“We hear a lot of good success stories from the employers. They fill out a survey and let us know how many students they think they made contact with,” Rzeszut said. “Typically, employers will say anything from only talking to 40 students to 150 plus students. Many of them indicate that they’re going to follow up with between 10 and 20 students.”
Beyond the jobs that career fairs can offer qualified students, the fairs and similar events give students and alumni the invaluable gift of experience.
“The whole point of a career networking fair is to hopefully prepare you for a job, or to help you find a job, but it’s also great networking,” Rzeszut said. “It can help build your people skills and give you an opportunity to meet with different employers from different types of industries. For a student that isn’t entirely sure what they want to do, it’s a great opportunity to learn from the professionals working in the field.”
Career Center fairs are held in the Marshall Student Center Ballroom. Professional attire is required and suits are preferred. Participants in casual attire will not be admitted into the fairs.
Students in need of professional attire are recommended to try out Suit-a-Bull, a free suit rental service organized by Students In Free Enterprise. Students must make an appointment for the service 72 hours in advance.
The Career Center’s Internship and Part-time Job Fair will be held April 10, in the SVC Breezeway. Casual or business casual attire is appropriate.
The fairs are exclusive to USF students and alumni and a valid USF ID is required for admittance.
Students are advised to update their resumes before the fair, research employers at the fairs beforehand for a best fit and attend career fair workshops or find tips online to prepare.