Students invited to attend October career fairs

By Chelsea Weeks, News Editor

In the month of October, Oklahoma Baptist University is offering three career fairs for students.

Tuesday, Oct. 2, from 1:00 p.m. thru 4:00 p.m. the Nursing and Health Industry Career Fair will take place in the Geiger Center.

Employers attending include Hillcrest Medical Center, OU Medicine, St. Anthony Shawnee and many more.

“This career fair will expose students to potential employers early in their educational experience,” Dr. Lepaine McHenry, dean of OBU’s nursing college, said. “Healthcare facilities are anxious to connect with our students to begin recruiting them for positions in their institutions. I strongly suggest that our nursing students take advantage of this exposure and begin comparing benefits and opportunities at each institution.”

Thursday, Oct. 11, from 1:00 p.m. thru 4:00 p.m. the Graduate and Professional School Fair will take place.

A variety of schools and seminaries will be present including The University of Oklahoma College of Law, Oklahoma Christian Graduate Programs, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and many more.

“Our students would benefit from stopping by the upcoming fair on campus as they consider future options after graduation,” Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Susan DeWoody said. “For students who may want to stay connected with Bison Hill, OBU offers excellent graduate options for students interested in master’s degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy, Business Administration, Christian or Intercultural Studies and Nursing.”

The Business Career and Internship Fair will take place Thursday, Oct. 25, from 1:00 p.m. thru 4: 00 p.m.

Employers attending include Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, Melton Trucking, Heartland Payment Systems and other.

When planning the career fairs, Director of Career Development and Alumni Engagement Lori Hagans wanted to find a day that would be best for students. In the past, the career fairs were on Wednesday mornings, but Hagans decided to change the days to Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“Hopefully that will accommodate more students being out of class and accommodate our athletes before they have to go to practice,” Hagans said. “[We wanted to] make it a better time frame to fit our students’ schedules.”

Hagans said career fairs give graduating seniors the chance to find a job or internship.

“The employers that are coming in are looking for employees,” Hagans said. “Whether they’re looking for an intern for this upcoming summer, or they’re looking to hire a soon to be recent grad, they’re coming with positions open.”

Career fairs don’t just benefit seniors, Hagans said. It also gives underclassmen the chance to practice their networking skills and gain knowledge of potential career paths.

“It’s not just for the students who are getting ready to graduate,” Hagans said. “If you’re a junior or sophomore and you’re thinking about going to grad school come, ask questions. These are great opportunities to ask questions from the people who are doing the recruiting for the schools. They can tell you about the application process, they can tell you about the different programs they offer, they can give you some insights that will be very helpful down the road.”

Hagans advises students to be professionally dressed, have business cards and a resume ready, research the employers attending and be prepared.