Georgia Southern students take advantage of many things on campus every year, but one of the largest opportunities for students would likely be the numerous career fairs that attempt to recruit students for their companies.

The stats

According to a survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 88.4 percent of students surveyed said they use job fairs as a method of searching for jobs, co-ops and internships.

Sixty two percent of students believe that career/job fairs are effective in getting them a job.

GS hosts a variety of fairs, ranging from STEM related to a career fair for graduate students. The Eagle Expo is GS’ largest career fair and typically has over 100 companies set up in the RAC each September and February, according to the Career Services’ website.

Upperclassman’s opinion

Calvin Irby, junior mechanical engineering major, likes the career fairs GS offers and went to a lot of them his freshman year.

“Career fairs are a great way to talk to different companies because a lot of them offer co-ops and internships,” Irby said.

Irby got an internship at a career fair on campus and will now have a job upon graduation. He believes that more students should take advantage of fairs because it’ll cut down the stress on finding a job or internship once they’re upperclassmen.

“A lot of freshmen don’t think it’s necessary, but I think it helps get your name out there,” Irby said.

Employers are often eager to meet with college students. In fact, according to glassdoor.com, in 2013, college graduates accounted for 57 percent of all entry level hires and that number has only grown in the past three years.

Career Services’ turn

Mary Lu Adams, coordinator of career programs and events for the Career Services, says that they offer the opportunity for employers to hold interviews with various students that they’ve met at the fairs held here on campus.

“We usually have 20 to 30 employers take us up on that offer each time, and for each fair, there are anywhere from 200-300 interviews that takes place on campus,” Adams said. “Out of those interviews, usually about 35-50 offers for internships, co-ops and full time positions are made.”

Students and faculty are the biggest resource when it comes to determining what kinds of job fairs will come to campus.

Adams urges students to talk to their Career Development Specialist if they have an idea about what types of companies or industries the university should try and arrange to invite.

“Our staff also keeps a close eye on nationwide and regional employment trends. If there’s a certain industry that is experiencing a hiring boom, we make it a priority to seek out those employers and bring them to campus, or at the very least get their jobs posted to Eagle Career Net,” Adams said.

In the next couple of semesters, Career Services is looking to bring even more fields to GS, including multimedia journalism, which was initiated by student request.

Adams said, “It’s still in the early stages, but we’ve been discussing the potential with various interested staff and faculty on campus and hoping to make it happen in the next couple semesters.”