Career Services will be hosting the annual fall Job, Internship and Grad School Fair in the SURC ballroom on Oct. 23.

Students will be given the opportunity to reach out and network with potential employers, grad schools and internship programs.   Companies and schools will be recruiting from all university programs.

“We stress networking,” Kristina Paquette, secretary supervisor of Career Services, said. “The job fair isn’t just for juniors and seniors but for freshmen as well. It’s a great way to get a foot-in-the-door and not just waiting until you’re a senior and graduating to start networking.”

The yearly career fair has 75 companies, employers and schools attending, which are looking for students in all majors.

Organizations registered to attend include Boeing, Gonzaga University, Peace Corps, and the U.S. Marine Corps.

Rob Lane, vice president of Student Life and Facilities, believes the fair will be beneficial for all students.

“I really believe that Central should make the career fair a requirement for all departments on campus to give all students the ability to recruit with companies that offer student opportunities after graduation,” Lane said. “If you can’t get a job or internship after you get a degree, why should we offer that program at all?”

By popular demand, the career fair will be bringing back the LinkedIn photo booth which will be available from 10 a.m. to noon.  The LinkedIn photo booth is a chance for students to get a professional photo taken for social media accounts like LinkedIn and Facebook.

“The digital world is at our fingertips. Employers can find more about you and more than you probably want them to,” Paquette said. “They can just Google your name.  Recruiters definitely look at social media when job searching.”

Bruce Simpson, employer outreach liaison for career services, emphasizes the importance of making a strong first impression online.  A student’s online persona can give employers an idea of their level of professionalism.

“The best profile pictures are usually a headshot with a neutral background,” Simpson said. “A bad profile photo is an obvious selfie with a ridiculous background.”

Career services offer helpful workshops for students looking for additional help constructing resumes, making cover letters and preparing for interviews.

“It’s more about defining who you are not what you’ve done,” Simpson said.  “Find those small details about you that define the general description of you.  Don’t forget to brag about the things you should brag about.”

Paquette and Simpson are the career fair administrators for the event as well as career service advisers.  Simpson is an active duty Air Force Officer and enjoys improvising stories for his two children.  Paquette, secretary supervisor, is a Central alumna.

On Nov. 6, the SURC will be hosting an engineering career fair with 55 registered employers.