My friend Pam came over my house so that we can take one car to the fair which was a lot of fun. We went to get breakfast first because we didn’t know that Berkeley was going to provide us with breakfast before the career fair. It was very nice of Berkeley to offer a free breakfast for students who came early, I didn’t expect that. Another great thing that surprised me was that the Berkeley library was there too! Students had access to computers if they needed to look something up or do some research.
When we got there we were greeted by Berkeley staff and asked to sign in. After signing in, we had to go into a small room for a little presentation that prepared us for the career fair. He went over how to act around the companies, what to expect and what not to expect from a career fair. One of the things that surprised me is when he said not to expect to get a job from this career fair. I was almost positive that I went there to get a job but apparently not. He explained that this is a place to network and meet people instead of finding a job. Don’t get me wrong, if they thought you were amazing they pulled you to the side and had a mini interview with you, but I only saw that happen to two people.
I don’t remember all of the companies from the fair, but to give you an idea of who was there, I recall Commerce Bank, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Party City, the FBI, as well as other banks but that’s all that I remember. Before our little presentation ended we had bags handed out to us that included information about the companies and a new flash drive! The information provided was very useful. It helped me understand what the companies did and what industry they were in so that I wasn’t clueless when I talked to them.
Overall I had a great experience at the Berkeley College Career Fair. I talked to many companies but I doubt any of them will really remember me when the time comes for me to find a job. When we talked about our experience in my morning class on Monday, people had very different opinions. Some felt the companies were mostly looking for graduates and people with experience and others felt that because they have a lot of past experience companies were very interested in them. Some companies were there to hire people for customer service, cashier positions, etc. but students felt they are going to college to move beyond working in those positions which do not require a college education.
Personally, I did not find anything that really fit what I was looking for. I wish there were marketing oriented companies there for the marketing students versus just regular companies with possible marketing departments. Even though I did not find what I was looking for, I still enjoyed my time and it was very educational. I am looking forward to my next career fair with Berkeley!
1 comment:
Great feedback …..and as a team member from Career Services I’m thrilled that you enjoyed your experience. If I may let me just comment on some of your thoughts to reinforce what I said in my presentation during the pre-session. Yes our career fair and any career fair you go to is a great venue to network. And no it isn’t necessarily a place you will find a job at that moment, however please remember that effective networking is a sure fire way to produce results for the future. And that is what a day like that is all about.
On another note, and for all of you who are anxious to get your hands on a good Marketing position, please keep in mind that your ultimate career goals are usually reached by starting out in an entry level environment that promotes learning. So please don’t be disappointed that we had as you said, “regular companies with possible marketing departments.” Yes there are “Marketing” companies and yes you will have a great chance at those, but those other companies with marketing departments are where you learn and get the opportunity to grow and where most Marketing firms get their experienced talent from.
As I always say to my students, let’s talk and make a plan for the future. So for all of you, please don’t forget to do that, see your career counselor right away, no matter where you are in your Berkeley experience, now is always the best time to talk about your future!
Don’t know your counselor? Go to Blackboard, then Career Services and click on Staff Information for contact details.
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