PHILADELPHIA (Feb. 13, 2012) - Employers representing an array of industries and organizations - including accounting, consulting, consumer products, education, financial services, food/retail, government, healthcare, insurance, law enforcement, marketing/communications, nonprofit, real estate, technology and transportation - will be on the Saint Joseph’s University campus for the Spring Career Fair on Thursday, Feb. 23.
The event, hosted by the University’s Career Development Center (CDC), will take place from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., in SJU’s Athletics Center.
Despite the challenging economic environment, 93 percent of SJU’s class of 2011 reported that they are employed and/or pursuing additional education.
“National data indicates that college hiring is moving in the right direction, and occupations that require post-secondary education are expected to grow the fastest,” notes Brett Woodard, director of Saint Joseph’s Career Development Center.
“Many companies are recruiting more new graduates compared to last year, especially in healthcare, technology, retail and professional and business services,” he adds. “The key factors here include business growth and the need to build a pipeline of new college graduates to replace the retiring work force or diversify ‘top heavy’ organizations.”
The Career Fair is expected to attract nearly 800 job seekers – Saint Joseph’s students from freshmen to seniors, grad students and alumni - looking for full- and part-time employment and internship opportunities.
In addition to individual career counseling, the CDC encourages students to engage in a four-year plan, from exploring majors to considering career paths and landing internships to acquiring the experience that employers will value when they graduate. The Center also offers a vigorous on-campus recruiting program as well as mock interview sessions, resume’ critiques, networking events, and workshops on topics as far-reaching as “How to get a job and keep it” and “Managing your online reputation.”
Woodard advises that those attending a career fair do their homework. “Research the organizations that interest you in advance. Understand their products and services and the problems they rely on employees to solve.
“Then you can approach an employer and introduce yourself by explaining what you know about their organization and sharing the key strengths that you’d contribute to their enterprise.”
Click here to watch a video and hear what students and prospective employers at last year’s Career Fair had to say.
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Contact: Harriet K. Goodheart, Assistant Vice President for University Communications, 610-660-1532, hgoodhea@sju.edu
Background: Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851, Saint Joseph's University advances the professional and personal ambitions of men and women by providing a demanding, yet supportive, educational experience. One of only 141 schools with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and AACSB business school accreditation, Saint Joseph's is home to 4,600 traditional day students, 700 College of Professional and Liberal Studies adult undergraduates and 3,500 graduate and doctoral students. Steeped in the 450-year Jesuit tradition of scholarship and service, Saint Joseph's was named to the 2010 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for General Community Service. The University strives to be recognized as the preeminent Catholic comprehensive university in the Northeast.
