OBU hosts the Spring Career and Internship Fair

For many college students, summer internships and post-graduation jobs are always on the mind.

Thursday, OBU’s career development office is hosting the Spring Career and Internship Fair to helps students find exactly that. The fair took place in the upper GC from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Previously, the Career and Internship Fair was just called the Business Career Fair, and primarily have graduating seniors in business-related fields and opportunities to find work after graduation, but director of career services Lori Hagans said this semester is different.

She said the fair is now host-ing recruiters from businesses and organizations looking for not just business seniors, but all majors and students look-ing for internships.

There are 19 employees signed up to attend the fair.

Three medical employees are attending: SSM Health Saint Anthony’s Hospital, the Children’s Center Rehabili-tation Hospital and OU-TU School of Community Medi-cine.

Hagans said some of these places are recruiting nurses and other health related ma-jors.

Education majors could also benefi t from meeting recruiters from E2 Educa-tion Exchange, Inc., English Learning Institute China and the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Gardens.

Love’s Travel Stops, whose corporate headquarters is in Oklahoma City, will be at the fair. Hagans said they have communications-related in-ternships and business jobs.

For a full list of employers [that attended] the career and internship fair, go to OBU’s career portal.

There are a few key reasons Hagans said career fairs such as this one are important.

Face-to-face contact with potential employers is a great way to make a good impression. Connecting with recruiters in person will give job-seekers a better chance to be remembered.

“Also, some employers aren’t looking for a specific major, but a student who connects with their business,” Hagans said. “It’s more about the person than what major they’re in.”

Hagans said even if you don’t think a certain employer would be a good fit for you, it’s still beneficial to meet with them.

“You never know what opportunities you might miss,” she said.

A student will most likely not apply for a job on the spot or have an on-site interview at the Career and Internship Fair, even though Hagans said not to dismiss the idea completely, but the point of the fair is to make that personal connection with businesses and leave an impression by which they’ll remember a student.

Since the first impression will be the only one a recruiter sees, Hagans said it’s necessary to be professional.

Dress appropriately, act accordingly and do research on the businesses Hagans said, so questions can be asked and meaningful conversations can take place.

It’s also important for students to get contact information from the recruiters and to leave their own, so businesses can get in touch if they’re interested. OBU offers students free business cards so this contact info exchange can be simple and easy.

Hagans said OBU started offering business cards to students for free Fall 2018. The first 24 cards are free. Students can access the link for business cards on OBU’s calendar listing for the career fair.

Hagans said any student with questions about the career fair or with career questions in general can contact her. Her offi ce is in GC 101.

The career development office also offers resume reviews and interview preparation, as well as a “What Can I Do With This Major?” assessment.