By Grace Arneberg:
After 35 years of annual fall career conferences, the University of Wisconsin–Stout will be holding its first spring conference on Feb. 25 and 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Due to its size, this conference will include the first floor of Jarvis Hall as well as its main location in the Memorial Student Center.
With approximately 95 employers scheduled to arrive on day one and about 120 for day two, the turnout has been larger than anticipated.
“We’ve never done a spring career conference before, so we just really didn’t know what to expect,” said Career Services Counselor Raymond Rivera. “We’re always trying to make room for more companies!”
According to Rivera, the goal is to have more than 2500 students attend the career conference this spring.
“Hopefully the extension to Jarvis won’t be a concern,” said Rivera. “We don’t want students to miss out on some good opportunities just because it’s farther.”
There will also be a virtual career conference on March 6, which will be held online and available all day.
“We always make sure students know that if they didn’t find what they are looking for, we still have another one!” said Rivera.
In addition, a smartphone app called Stout Career Fair Plus is being introduced for the first time. Students will be able to view the names of companies attending, a map, schedule and announcements about the career conference. On Feb. 11, UW–Stout held a Career Conference Bootcamp for the first time where students could get advice from employers about resumes, interviews and professional attire.
“Hopefully it all goes really well and we will be able to keep doing it year after year,” said Rivera.
Students are encouraged to look for opportunities even if a company may not specifically be looking for their major. In the words of Rivera, “prospecting.” Companies advertise for their biggest needs but have varying departments. Rivera advises students to see if they can find those “hidden gems” by looking further within a company.
The career conference is just one of many ways for students to find employment.
“Career Services is always willing to help,” said Rivera. “Our main goal is to bring students and employers together. Employers are constantly interviewing on campus. Just because the career conference ends doesn’t mean the employers stop coming.”
For more information about the spring career conference, visit www.uwstout.edu/careers/careerco.cfm
For more information about Career Services, go to www.uwstout.edu/careers