To kick off fall semester of each school year, VSU presents a part-time job fair to the student body organized by the Career Opportunities Employer Relations Coordinator, Sandra Y.G. Jones. Held for the first time in the Student Union ballroom on Aug. 16, over 500 students and 35 preregistered businesses attended the fair. The turnout more than doubled the expectations that there would be a similar turnout as last year’s fair, which concluded 147 students in attendance.

The part-time career fair is intended to give students the opportunity to meet potential employment contacts on and off campus by bringing businesses from the community to one place for the student body.

“If students are more comfortable staying on campus with employer opportunities, the three largest campus employers attend the part-time fair and may offer positions for current and future employment,” Jones said.

Businesses representing many fields of study offered right here at the university attended, looking for student employees or interns until qualifications can be met. Some businesses have age requirements, and others require certain educational merits. All of them are willing to give information to students on how they can achieve their career goals within their business.

“Between the jobs and services offered at the career fair, VSU students are presented with an opportunity to really educate and prepare themselves on what careers are available after and during college,” Thomas Atnip, a junior attending his first VSU job fair, said.

Lowndes County has a population of 114,628 and of the total population, 3,782 citizens are listed as unemployed with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. VSU is looking to keep as many students as possible out of that statistic by organizing events that bring businesses to their students. They allow opportunities for the student body to network themselves, present resumes or portfolios and ultimately gain valuable work experience in preparation for life after college.

“I am looking for something part-time to pay for expensive books and art supplies,” Zahra Leroy, a sophomore art major, said. “It is really convenient that I do not have to go out of my way to look for employment because VSU has brought businesses to campus, and I really like that.”

The office of Career Opportunities presents multiple events throughout the school year to benefit the student body and prepare them for the future. If you would like to build a captivating resume to land that interview, VSU organizes workshops throughout the year to help. There will be a Blazer Ready Workshop called Creating Captivating Resumes on Thursday Aug. 31 in Student Union meeting room one from 5 to 7 p.m. To register, log on to Blazer Briefcase.

Story and Photo by Jade Manning, Staff Writer