On Sept. 29, Mount St. Mary’s University, along with nine other colleges and universities from around the region, hosted a virtual career fair for the fall semester. More than 100 different companies and organizations were featured. The event was presented by MD-PA College Career Center Alliance and gave students the chance to meet with employers over Zoom in one-on-one sessions or with a group to discuss jobs, internships and programs.
Some of the employers who virtually attended the fair were the American Red Cross of National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region, Baltimore Ravens, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, FBI, GEICO, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, Ivymount School & Programs, The Mental Health Association of Frederick County, the National Security Agency (NSA), T.W. Ponessa & Associates Counseling Services, Inc. and United Talent Agency.
Matthew Pouss, the Interim Director of the Career Center at the Mount stated, “The overall goal of the fair is for students to make progress in their career with the opportunities that they are looking at. Whether it’s using this event as a springboard for applying for internships, jobs or even just from a networking standpoint, sometimes having these interactions with employers can set a good foundation for future opportunities. The fair itself is not the be all end all, but it can be a very helpful step for students to move forward with career plans.”
Normally only one career fair is held throughout the academic year and takes place during the spring semester. However, last year, the Career Center was presented with an opportunity to collaborate with two colleges on a virtual job fair in the fall and had the first one. For the spring, Pouss hopes that they will be able to hold another virtual fair and also one in person as well.
Getting exposure to different employers and opportunities is important so all students are encouraged to attend the next career fair even if they went to this one or are unsure about what they want to do. According to Jillian Bradley, the Assistant Director of the Career Center: “This is the chance for students to hear directly from employers and to ask questions that they may be confused on or want some more insight about. Building that connection can kind of expand and maybe open them up to something that they hadn't thought about in the past, or it might give them some more clarity about their future direction. Even if somebody is undeclared, and they don't know where they’re going, or they don’t know what they want to do, we always encourage students to, to attend, just to get that exposure.”
For the rest of the fall semester, the Career Center is planning to host a number of events geared towards helping individuals learn more about future opportunities available to them. These events include an alumni panel and an explanation of majors being offered at the Mount that is specifically targeted for first-year students and sophomores. Along with those events, the Career Center will also offer more workshops pertaining to job preparation.
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