Students get briefed on employment possibilities by fellow student, right, Leilani Farao, who did an internship with Disney and was representing Disney at the Career Fair. Photo by Ryan Bagley
Fewer empl oy er s at t end Ca r e er F ai r According to Kim Austin, manager of employer relations at Career Services, the number of employers that came to campus on Thursday, Feb 25 for the semi-annual Career
10
Ke Alaka’i
Fair was less than that of previous years due to the tough economy and budget cuts. Students dressed in formal attire and brought their resumes along with their professionalism to the tables of various companies in hopes to impress potential employers, get an interview, and land an internship or full-time position. “The Bank of Hawaii and New York Life Insurance caught my interest”, said
Pei Pei Kuo, a junior in communications from Taiwan who graduates in December. “I’m trying to make a good impression and get an interview,” she added. Since many job applications and interviews are processed online, having representatives from companies come on campus benefits students in that they get to interact with prospective employers. Students may be surprised to find that companies hire all sorts of majors, not only the obvious ones. For example, one might think that financial firms like Goldman Sachs will only hire finance majors, but they are open to all sorts of people with different backgrounds and interests. “We look for all students, all majors, but preferably a junior, for our summer internship programs,” said Christine Alter, an employee representative of Goldman Sachs. “Our various positions allow student interns to experience, learn, and succeed.” “Most of the employers that come in the winter look for summer interns, whereas employers that come in fall look to hire full-time,” said Austin. “It is great exposure for the students here because we don’t get so many companies from around the U.S. that come to this area.”
–GEO FF LO