March 31, 2008

Students, professionals meet face-to-face at Spring Career Fair

More than 200 students and professionals attended the School of Journalism and Mass Communications Spring Career Fair at the Courtyard Marriott March 27. Deals were made, internships were nailed, and jobs were offered.

The career fair was attended by undergraduate and graduate students from USC, as well as students from other colleges and universities in South Carolina. For many students it was their first job fair and the first opportunity to ask questions of employers about the job market and about the skills necessary to find jobs. For others, it was a time to renew contacts with employers made at previous career fairs.

Career fair coordinator Beverly Dominick said employers were very pleased with how well prepared the students were with their resumes, portfolios and by the questions that were asked. One interviewer wrote in his evaluation that he was always interested in working with students/graduates of the J-School because of "how well prepared they were for internships and jobs."

Dominick said the fair is a good opportunity for employers also because they get to take the first look at some of the J-School's best students. "For example, David Hart, news director at WBTW-TV in Myrtle Beach has hired a number of graduates for entry level positions at his station who have all done extremely well," she said. "Once they hire one of our students and that student is successful, they come back to the Career Fair looking for others."

Among the newcomers for this Career Fair were the Detroit Free Press, Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands, and Enventys, a public relations firm from Charlotte, NC.

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