First Trine Career Fair coming

Businesses responding enthusiastically

 

Well over half of the registrations available for companies who wish to recruit area students for full time, internship and co-op employment have been filled in the inaugural Trine University Career and Internship Fair Friday, Oct. 24 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the University Center.

Trine Career Services director Linda Bateman said over 30 of a possible 50 employers have registered, and that more companies contact her daily about the fair. Over 50 recruiters have also signed up to attend.

The fair is open to Trine University students and students from other institutions of higher education in the region to connect with employers and recruiters. She seeks participation by a mix of companies to cover a wide student base, particularly those enrolled in Trine’s schools of engineering, arts and sciences, and business, she said.

Companies from Indianapolis, Bremen, Fort Wayne, Wolcott, Elkhart, Attica, Muncie, LaGrange, and Waterloo in Indiana; Jackson, Ann Arbor, and Zeland, Mich.; Marysville, Ohio; and Groton, Conn. have registered for the fair. Among them are Cintas, American Structurepoint, Bremen Castings, the City of Fort Wayne, Cives Steel Co., Commonwealth Associates, Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Fort Wayne Metals Research Group, General Dynamics, Harrison Steel Castings, Honda of America, Logikos, Navy Officer Programs, Northwest Mutual Financial Network-Fort Wayne, NSK Corp., Three Rivers Federal Credit Union, WestPoint Financial Group, Youth Opportunity Center, ITT, Nucor Building Systems, Beckman Coulter, Navistar, Univertical Corp., AFLAC, Allegiant International, Gentex Corp., and MOR/ryde International.

To take full advantage of this chance to connect with future employers, Bateman’s office has created three workshops on Oct. 14-16 to prepare students to present themselves most effectively. Workshops will focus on networking, résumé presentation, and interviewing. Students from other local colleges in nearby Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio can also take advantage of the workshops.

The workshops will take place in the University Center’s Digital Classroom and its adjacent hallway. On Oct. 14, “Market You with a Winning Résumé” will be offered at 7 p.m. Students who wish to will receive a critique of their résumés and then 10 professionally printed copies of the polished documents. At “Job Fairs: How to be a Winning Candidate,” an expert on making the most of the job fair resource will speak in sessions at 3 and 6 p.m. on Oct. 15. “Ace the Interview” will be Oct. 16 at 7 p.m., and will feature advice from actual recruiters on the interview experience. A leather portfolio will be given away to one participant in each of the two later workshops. Refreshments will be served at all workshops. Trine faculty members responsible for referring the most students to the workshops will receive a $50 gas card.

As an added benefit, invited companies may recruit from Trine students outside of the fair, and will receive resumés from the TrineCareers.org database. “We should be able to double the number of company visits to campus this year,” Bateman said. “We are really excited about our first-ever career fair. It’s going really well.”

Employers have the option to interview candidates of interest immediately after the fair, in rooms reserved for the purpose in the University Center. The fee of $125 per standard exhibitor and $40 per non-profit or governmental exhibitor includes lunch for two, continental breakfast, employer break room, company overview in the employer directory, and access to interview rooms. The registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 10, at www.TrineCareers.org. More information is available at 260.665.4124 or batemanl@trine.edu.