On Thursday, April 18, Western Washington University is hosting their All-Industries Career and Internship Fair inside the Wade King Student Rec Center MAC Gym. The fair is tailored for students to meet employers who are “actively recruiting for positions from various majors and academic levels,” according to the event's page. Students will have the chance to ask employers questions about their field and meet other employers to gain knowledge across multiple fields.
“[The] career fair provides a unique, free opportunity to meet with a variety of employers who are interested and committed to hiring at WWU,” said Britta Eschette, the event coordinator.
Students are asked to come prepared to the fair with a resume to hand out. The fair will have more than thirty employers who are hiring for 2024 and 2025 full-time positions and internships.
Some of the companies attending are non-profit organizations such as Cocoon House and Camp Corey, and media groups Cascade Radio Group and Kulshan Community Media KMRE Radio. Also in attendance are government employers like the City of Des Moines, Washington.
The career center also recommends students to come dressed in business attire. Professional clothing can be found at the Western career closet, free of cost. Jason Upton, a 2023 graduate from Western currently working at Cascade Radio Group, received a suit from the career center while attending Western. He said he found out about the career center and career closet through emails sent to economics majors.
Students are encouraged to build a network and talk to employers both within their field and without. At the fair, students can explore the next steps after college and learn about opportunities to apply for jobs or internships, while practicing conversation in a professional setting.
“Sometimes employers in attendance represent only a portion of what their company does,” Eschette said. “You can learn about other opportunities, connections or new perspectives by engaging in conversation or just pausing for a minute to read information at their table.”
Eschette also encourages students to use the career center at Western to help feel fully prepared for the fair. Kristen Paton, the event coordinator for Career Services at Central Washington University, said she feels that students underutilize services like the career center.
“I completely understand as well,” Paton said. “When I was in college . . . I was a very involved student on campus and I did not have any awareness of a career services office or career fairs.”
Paton explained that getting the word out about campus services like career centers can get students the help they may need when it comes to things like preparing resumes, cover letters or getting professional clothing.
“Even simple things like reviewing cover letters and resumes is a service that I feel is just tragically underutilized,” Paton said. “It's free, it doesn't take much time, and the benefits can be immediate.”
Bodey Mitchell (he/him) is a campus life reporter for The Front this quarter. He is a second-year Journalism pre-major. In his spare time, Bodey can be found snowboarding or playing guitar. You can reach him at bodeymitchell.thefront@gmail.com.
