Despite rescheduling, Career Fair to add more employers

Despite the rescheduled date, more employers will attend the University’s Career Fair… Despite the rescheduled date, more employers will attend the University’s Career Fair next week than were scheduled to attend it on its original date.

The fair was originally scheduled for Feb. 10 and 11, but the Office of Student Employment and Placement Assistance changed the dates to Monday and Tuesday after a historic snowstorm stopped the city’s operations for several days.

Monday’s fair will host technical employers, while Tuesday’s will host non-technical ones. It will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days in the William Pitt Union and is free for all Pitt students and alumni.

Employers seemed to adjust quickly to the schedule change — nine employers pulled out of the fair, but 13 more signed up. According to the SEPA website, 129 employers will attend the fair.

But rescheduling presented problems for some students.

Kumiko Tomazawa, an accounting major, was prepared for the first date.

“The problem is this week and next week is midterms for me, and it’s right before spring break,” Tomazawa said.

Other students, such as information sciences student Lauren Mazzotta, found that the new dates are more convenient.

“It’s easier for me because I wasn’t prepared the first time,” Mazzotta said. “I’m just glad they didn’t try to have it when it was snowing.”

Monica Varela, special events and marketing coordinator for the fair, said SEPA considered several factors when choosing the new dates. The office’s workers considered whether the William Pitt Union were open for space and the fact that many employers needed to complete their candidate searches before spring break.

Varela said it’s hard to tell if the rescheduling translates to more or less jobs offered because each employer offers different positions.

The nine employers who canceled include Wal-Mart Stores, Grant Street Group, Raytheon Company, Macy’s, Philadelphia Teaching Fellows, Kurt J. Lesker Company, American Contracting and Environmental Services, Ferguson Enterprises and U.S. General Services Administration.

Varela said many companies are still interested in Pitt students.

“Many have assured us that they will remain visible on campus conducting on-campus information sessions throughout the semester,” she said.

This disparity in employers at the fair could be problematic for some students who were interested in specific companies.

“I was interested in Grant Street Group, but I understand that they had to cancel,” said Tianna Hedges, a computer science major.

She remained optimistic about opportunities at the fair and said she planned to attend both days, even though the second day will be for non-technical companies.

“The fact that it’s closer to graduation is a good thing. I think more employers are looking for people now,” she said.

Civil engineering major E.J. Regula said he wasn’t sure if the fair were right for him.

“I was going to go to the first one [in February], but after it got canceled, I went out on my own and did research and found a lot of things,” Regula said. “I probably won’t even be able to go anyway, because of class.”

Cheryl Finlay, director of the Office of Student Employment and Placement Assistance, said she hopes students will use the fair to find not only jobs but internships as well.

Because of the lack of time for planning before the rescheduled events, there will not be any “career kickoff” events. But the Career Development Office has been reviewing resumes during walk-in hours and is still preparing students for the fair.