Employers Flock to Career Fair for Area College Students
April 5, 2011SPRINGFIELD, Mass., April 5, 2011 -- As college seniors intensify their searches for employment after graduation, more than 80 employers will converge at the annual College Career Centers of Western Mass. Career Fair for students and graduates of area colleges. Springfield College will host the annual event on Wednesday, April 6, from noon to 4 p.m., in Blake Arena.
The career fair will feature opportunities for full-time and part-time employment, internships and seasonal jobs. It has been organized by the career centers of American International, Bay Path, Elms, Holyoke Community, Springfield, Springfield Technical Community and Western New England colleges and Westfield State University, and is open to students and graduates of all area institutions of higher learning.
According to Barbara Kautz, director of the Springfield College Career Center, "The employment outlook for this year's graduates is healthier than in recent years, though still competitive. Motivated students who conduct their job searches with initiative, networking and online searches should be able to identify more opportunities than existed at this time last year. We are seeing increased openings in health care, education and business.
“It is essential that students present themselves and their qualifications with professionalism. Those who have enhanced their educations with workplace internships and fieldwork or volunteer work have advantages.”
Career centers at area colleges help students and alumni prepare for employment. They guide students in exploring various kinds of careers, developing career-related experiences, identifying employment opportunities, refining job searching skills, transitioning to the workplace, and more. They also advise on applying to graduate school.
Kautz said that the colleges’ annual career fairs have successfully linked employers and future employees or interns through their 16-year history. “Greater Springfield’s colleges provide this region with a strong talent pool. The career fair has been a good venue for employers searching for particular talent, and for students and graduates searching for the right career opportunities for their abilities and interests, to find each other.”
