Hundreds of employers will gather on the Tempe campus this week for ASU's Career Fiesta, interviewing and recruiting students for jobs and internships.
The fiesta is the largest career event at ASU. Employers will set up in the Memorial Union from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and from 12 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and Friday.
125 employers will attend the first two days and a new set of 125 will attend the second two days. Several big-name employers will be at the Fiesta, including IBM, GM, 3M, Harley-Davidson, Pepsi, and the FBI.
“This is one of the largest collegiate career fairs in the entire country,” said Kitty McGrath, executive director of Career Services.
Elaine Stover, associate director of Career Services, said the days of the Career Fiesta are not organized by industry or area of study, so students can expect something new and potentially useful in each set.
“It would make sense for students to come more than once,” Stover said.
Students can sign up early for Career Fiesta or walk in during the event. For students registering early on Sun Devil Career Link, companies can look at their resume beforehand, providing extra time for their consideration.
Stover said that close to 1,000 students are expected to attend Career Fiesta each day this year.
Some employers participated Monday in “Resume Reality”, a new event before Career Fiesta. Several employers reviewed resumes at the event and gave professional evaluations for students and alumni before they set off to the Fiesta. Students received advice and had a chance to make quick changes to their resumes before they present them in interviews to potential employers.
Another special event that is new for this year, “No experience? Not True!” will be held on Tuesday. Chris Milliken, campus recruiting representative from Lockheed Martin will be at the workshop teaching students easy ways to impress recruiters. The workshop will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and lunch will be served for all workshop participants. An RSVP is required for this event. Sign up at asu.edu/career through Sun Devil CareerLink.
“Take time to review the list of organizations that will be here,” McGrath said.
She said students should make a list of the specific employers that interest them, then look at their websites and gather more detailed information.
Many students may become nervous and uneasy with the thought of trying to impress company recruiters.
“Practice a 30 to 60 second introduction that you’d make, tell them your name, your major and your strong interest in their industry,” said McGrath.
McGrath said no matter what , students should make sure they know what the company is about and be aware of the recent activities related to the company.
Katy Glosser, president of Business Ambassadors at ASU, suggests that “students try going to some mock interviews and have advisors review their resumes beforehand. It isn't necessarily something you have to do, but I think it will give you that extra advantage and make you feel a bit more confident before going into it.”
She encouraged students to take advantage of all the Career Fiesta has to offer.
“The fact that companies are there to recruit students and it is in such a convenient location here on campus really makes it an opportunistic event,” Glosser said. “I think it would be crazy to pass up on this kind of opportunity to meet with companies there just for your major.”
Reach the reporter at bssener@asu.edu.
