Every semester, the Office of Career Services hosts a Career, Internship, and Part-Time Job Fair for Kean students. This fall’s fair was held on September 29 in Harwood Arena, where over a hundred employers from various counties and surrounding states presented information and opportunities for attending students.
From 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the gym was filled with rows of tables. In each row, a sign pointed to the category of employers: nonprofit, healthcare, government, legal and law enforcement, and more. On campus opportunities were offered as well, including the College Steps peer mentors program, the Lesniak Institute for American Leadership, and the BRAVEN Career Accelerator.
Judson Jean-Jacques, a senior from Newark, NJ, came looking for both internships and job opportunities related to her major.
“Coming here has given me a few opportunities to be able to network with people and give out my resume and also taking people's business cards,” she said.
As a Human Resources Management major, Jean-Jacques still found benefits from what she found, though many were outside the realm of her traditional job searches. “Every company has an HR department, so I could pretty much apply anywhere as long as they're offering roles within that position,” she observed.
Representatives from non-profit organizations such as Jersey Cares, the YMCA and The Arc, as well as educational institutions such as the Newark Board of Education, South Plainfield School District, Spectrum 360, and Cresthaven Academy Charter School tabled at the fair.
Ana Marziano is a Kean Ocean student. The career fair was her first time stepping foot on the Union campus, so the experience was an opportunity in more than one way. “I had heard about this through Handshake [an employment platform geared for college students] a couple of weeks ago and put it on my calendar.”
A senior studying Biology from Brick, NJ, Marziano is looking to get an internship for next semester and decided to use the fair to accelerate her search. “I did not realize the number of businesses and different tables that were going to be here,” she said. “I'm very pleasantly surprised.... It looks like there's a lot of really great businesses looking to hire grad students, to hire students, to do internships and shadowings and stuff.”
She also found the event itself to be well-organized. “I like that each row has its own separate section,” she commented. “It makes it easier to not just have to walk around and wander.”
One such row featured healthcare employers, such as Ivy Health, SportsMed Physical Therapy, Compass ABA, RWJBarnabas Health and Atlantic Health. In another row, government organizations such as the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Internal Revenue Service, and Rhode Island Department of Corrections were represented.
Mariana Ramirez is a junior studying Marketing from Englewood, NJ. Like Marziano, she is looking for an internship to improve her prospects for future employers and develop her career with real-world experience. She heard about the career fair from a career development workshop, which taught crucial lessons in building a resume and perfecting an elevator pitch.
As a first-time attendee of the fair, Ramirez admitted to feeling a little intimidated at first. “You don’t really know what to do, how to approach people,” she said. “But once you start doing it, you realize it’s not that hard.”
She advised students to take advantage of the in-person nature of the fair. “I know we have Handshake, but coming here and talking straight to the people that are recruiting is just better.”
Businesses were also given the spotlight at the fair, such as the Diversity Marketing and Communications, American Dream, New York Red Bulls, USI Insurance Services, and Santander Bank. In addition, energy and infrastructure organizations such as NJ Transit, FedEx Freight, and Fastenal Company offered career-related information students and alumni could take advantage of.
Legal and law enforcement groups such as county and state police departments, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Army Recruiters, and Federal Bureau of Investigations made up the back end, some with props featuring the uniforms of each position.
Students from all classes and stages of career readiness took advantage of the fair—from freshmen looking for volunteer work and first-time internships to upperclassmen looking for post-grad career positions. According to Jean-Jacques, the fair can also provide unexpected perks for undecided students.
“Maybe somebody can have a conversation with you that can change your perspective, and then really solidify maybe what major you would like to major in,” she said. “So regardless [of] if you do find an opportunity here or not, or if you're a senior or a freshman, it'll still be important. It'll still help you in some way, whether it be networking or being able to switch your perspective on how you view your career path.”
For those who missed the fair, Kean’s office of Career Services regularly hosts career-related events for students throughout the semester. Events can be found on Cougar Link and are often sent to all students’ emails, and they include opportunities for specialized fields as well as universal career training. In addition, students can schedule an appointment with their Career Advisor on Navigate360, stop by the Center for Academic Success room 201, or contact Career Services via career@kean.edu or (908) 737-0327.
