BY Bryan Casey
Staff Writer
The center for Career and Professional Development held a job fair in conjunction with the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology on Feb. 19 at West Campus.
The fair included 15 different tech companies who were looking to fill internship positions, find future employees, or offer career advice. Many of the companies were located in the Fairfield and Shelton area.
“I’ve talked to a couple of students and I look forward to connecting with everyone at the fair. I’m just interested in meeting people, getting to know them, and helping them out,” said Adam Rendall from East Rock Software.
Each academic year the center for Career and Professional Development holds a total of seven career fairs. Some are larger and cater to a variety of different majors, while others focus on a specific concentration or college.
Even though the fairs may differ in size, they all possess a similar goal to “strengthen our relationship with these companies and to encourage businesses to continue to recruit Sacred Heart students,” said Michael Twerago, director of career operations for data and recruitment.
Wednesday’s fair was a business casual event open to all Sacred Heart students. Many made connections on LinkedIn and others received information about how to strengthen their resumes.
For many students at the event, this was not their first career fair.
“Last semester I went to a career fair and it was very helpful in searching for internships and job opportunities for the future. I have one interview coming up very soon in about a week that I am looking forward to,” said junior Paul Panettiera.
While this career fair was geared towards local companies, there were also graduate programs looking for students interested in applying. One representative from UCONN Health was available to answer questions about there school of medicine and inform students about the opportunities available.
“I’m looking for people interested in medical or dental school. In order to get in, you have to have a competitive resume. We have a lot of summer internships that would give research experience to those planning on applying to medical school later on,” said Granville Wrensford, Assistant Dean of UCONN Health.
Some students at the fair were not necessarily looking for internships, but identified the fair as a place to productively practice communication skills.
“It’s very helpful even if you don’t get an internship from the event. It gives you more opportunities to talk with recruiters and helps you with interview tactics,” said Jason Thiel, a sophomore accounting major.
Upper classmen also strengthen their professional interaction abilities at career fairs.
“The event made me more comfortable talking to employers,” said senior Nathaniel Flemming.
While students wish to gain new skills and opportunities by attending career fairs, companies also wish to benefit from these fairs. Many businesses were looking for feedback from students in order to more effectively create cooperative internships.
“Our goal is to understand more about the talent here at Sacred Heart and how we can create more opportunities for summer internships. It’s really important that the students know that we are here and that we are a local business,” said Kerion Wilson-Evans of Inline Plastics.
Graduate students also utilized the available resources at the fair to make new connections and gain a better understanding about which careers fit there current and future degrees.
“I got a lot of leads from these fairs and it made me realize how many choices I actually have,” said Connor Finn, a graduate student at Sacred Heart.
The Center for Career Development offers a variety of resources to guide all students into the professional world.
Students at the fair commented about how it is a great first step to make when considering what lies ahead after graduation.
“Career fairs are always a good place to get your feet wet and know what companies are in the area,” said Colin McNamara, a graduate student at Sacred Heart.
