Job fair offers opportunities to students in all fields of study

More than 50 companies and organizations with employment opportunities will meet with students…More than 50 companies and organizations with employment opportunities will meet with students on Thursday at the William Pitt Union from 1 to 3 p.m.

The Student Employment Job Fair has been held for three years in the beginning of both the fall and spring semesters each year. The Employment Job Fair offers federal work study positions, student work positions and internships to Pitt students.

Amanda Sell, special events and marketing associate at Pitt’s Career Development and Placement Assistance Office, said this semester’s job fair has the largest employer turnout for the event yet. She attributed the increase in employer attendance to the combination of both on-campus employers and local businesses.

Sell said that the more than 50 organizations set to attend the job fair are based throughout the University and Oakland, as well as Shadyside, the Waterfront, Squirrel Hill and Robinson.

She encouraged all students to attend the job fair and underlined that although federal work study and student work positions are available, opportunities also exist for students solely searching for part-time employment during the school year.

Sell stressed that students of all academic backgrounds should attend the fair.

“Employers are eager to meet with students that have a strong work ethic and are willing to be flexible with scheduling work hours,” Sell said.

Although students are not required to bring copies of their resumé to the fair, Sell recommended that they do so. She said students can receive help constructing their resumés by meeting with a career consultant in the Office of Career Development and Placement Assistance.

English and film studies adviser Mark Kemp said he believes it’s important for all students to partake in practical experience before graduation, such as opportunities offered at the Job Fair.

“It’s very important that they do some thinking about what they want to do after they graduate,” Kemp said. “Internships help to do that whether or not they have to do with their field of study or not. It can be unrelated and still give them a good idea of what they want to do or what they want to avoid.”

This practical experience can often supplement classroom instruction.

Tim Carr, senior adviser at Pitt’s College of General Studies, said it’s critical that students have the opportunity to apply what they learn from their instructors outside of the classroom.

“Students have the chance to be in the actual setting where they hope to work someday,” Carr said. “They can actually meet with people in the system, not just listening to lectures and trying to understand it outside of the actual experience.”

Carr also said that students he has advised over the years have attended events similar to the fob fair to meet with representatives from a number of different agencies.

For those unable to attend the event, Sell said students can also always search FutureLinks, a web resource for job openings and internship availabilities accessible to students via my.pitt.edu.