Pace Paw Print

Media Credit: Pace.edu

Both the Gottesman room and Dining Room A of the Kessel Student Center were crowded with students and employers on April 3, when Co-Op and Career services sponsored this semester's career fair.

From eleven in the morning to two in the afternoon, students had the opportunity to talk with employers, deliver their 30 second pitches, give out their resumes, and possibly land interviews. Approximately 80 companies attended the fair, such as the American Red Cross, Coca Cola Enterprises Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co, Reader's Digest, and the New York State Office of the Attorney General. Angelina Bassano, Director of Cooperative Education, said that approximately 325 Pace students and alumni attended.

Maren Milliard, a recruiter from Ability Beyond Disability, a company who serves people with physical and mental disabilities, said that the students she met with made a good impression.

"Everybody seems to be very well dressed and prepared with resumes," she said.

Milliard said she attended approximately 17 career fairs on behalf of Ability Beyond Disability within the last few months, and that Pace students made a better impression than the students at the other colleges.

"At some of the other schools the students don't seem as prepared," she said.

She said the probability that students who speak to Ability Beyond Disability will hear back from them was "very likely," since the company is looking to increase its presence in the New York area.

Lolita Gonzalez, the Director of Development with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network in Montvale, New Jersey also said she was impressed with the students she spoke with. She said that her company looked for certain qualities in their applicants such as an outgoing personality, a "go-getter" attitude, and fitting in with the company's values of integrity and independence.

She said there was a 100 percent chance that students she met with would hear back from the company.

"If they won't, we'll tell them right away," she said.

Many of the students who attended prepared for the career fair in advance.

Risa Boroda, a senior international business management major, said she went on the companies' websites to research them. At the career fair, she talked to companies such as Reader's Digest and Dannon.

"I'm getting to know the companies and which ones I want to pursue," she said.

Avery Rodriguez, a sophomore international business management major, said she was using the fair to get a summer internship.

"There's a lot of interesting companies," she said.

To prepare, Rodriguez read the Co-op and Career Service's website in addition to the websites of the companies she spoke to. She said Co-op and Career Services provided her with helpful information for the fair.

"They definitely helped me to prepare," she said. "They made sure I had my business suit ready and told me what companies would be here."

Bassano said more students than usual took advantage of their services. She said counselors were available 24/7 for help with resumes online and held open hours for students. There were also special workshops that helped students with interviewing skills and tips for getting a summer job.

"We had back to back appointments for weeks," she said.

Bassano said that the effort students were making was "good to see." She said the faculty also helped support the event by bringing their classes to the fair.

"It was a collaborative effort. Everyone supported the fair and it showed."

Some aspects that Bassano said helped make this fair successful were holding the event in two rooms, making it easier for people to get around and network; the fact that freshman attended to practice networking; and having students dress in business attire.

In the past, Bassano said employers noted that students could have dressed more appropriately, but this was not the case at last week's fair.

"[The students] did a 180," she said.

Bassano seemed happy with how the event went.

"We are very pleased and excited about the turnout," she said. "It was one of the best fairs to date."

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