I found the 2020 Washburn Spring Career Fair to be a rather useful experience. It provided me with an opportunity to present myself in a professional manner and allow me to work on my networking skills. I ended up talking with four different employers and they were all very professional and provided me with insights into their organizations.
The first potential employer I spoke with was KTWU television. I was curious what types of opportunities they offered for someone completely new in the field of tv production. They did inform me that they were not currently hiring any full-time positions, but they did say that they are always looking for volunteers as well as offering internships to help learn the ins and outs of the business.
The next couple of potential employers I spoke to were Derek Roe with Modern Woodmen and two representatives from Bankers Life, both financial service companies. To be honest, I don’t see myself as a financial advisor, but they managed to get my attention and were very professional in representing each of their companies respectively.
I also spoke with Dr. Erin Grant with the Criminal Justice Department for Washburn. I expressed my interest in the forensic sciences. I learned that the forensic technician field has become slightly saturated partly due to the increase of true crime tv shows like Forensic Files and even fictional crime shows like Dexter.
I liked how the event was put together as a whole and I liked the variety of employment opportunities that were being offered there. I even took advantage of getting a professional headshot for my portfolio while I was there. One thing that might have been nice to have would have been a map of where each employer’s booth was located in order to find them a little easier, just a minor critique though. Overall, I thought it was very beneficial event, and I would recommend that anyone looking for potential employment to attend the Washburn career fairs when they become available.
The Spring 2020 Washburn Career Fair provided me with several meaningful opportunities to speak with potential employers, as well as get a new professional headshot taken for my digital portfolio and LinkedIn account. I was able to utilize my networking skills and learn more about what kind of positions I could realistically obtain post-graduation.
The first company I spoke with was Intouch Solutions. Intouch Solutions is an independent, full-service marketing agency for pharmaceutical companies. I asked about their company culture and inquired about what positions they are currently hiring for. The representatives encouraged me to apply for the summer internship program.
Another company I spoke with was Inside Ventures. Inside Ventures is a technology-enabled marketing company that helps large brands acquire new customers through online marketing and inside sales. The recruiter was hiring for sales representatives. We talked about how I could apply my skills from a mass media degree to this type of work. She took down my information and made plans to connect later.
I am planning on updating my LinkedIn with my new headshot from the Alumni Association when it gets emailed to me. I think it's important to keep my professional online presence current and updated.
Overall, I think the Career Fair was a worthy use of my time. I will say that I think career fairs are becoming more outdated, as most employers facilitate the hiring process digitally nowadays. I do see the value in networking and shaking hands with industry professionals, which this event allowed me to do.
I found that the 2020 Washburn Spring Career Fair was beneficial experience to talk with professional employers from various fields. The employers I spoke with are Inside Ventures, Mueller Industries Inc, and Hy-Vee. They provide me with an insight on the working environment in US and an opportunity to consider about not only the kind of job I would like to go but other jobs that is not on my lists.
Frist company I spoke with was Inside Ventures. They partner with large brands to scale customer acquisition efforts and specialize in building cost effective campaigns in insurance, annuities and home security. The available position is inside sales representative as full time job. Even it is not my desirable position for me, it is nice to talk with the company which I am interested in.
The next company I spoke with was Mueller Industries Inc. it is an industrial manufacturer that specializes in copper and copper alloy manufacturing while producing goods made from aluminum, steel and plastics. Available position is tech sales as full time job. I was interesting to talk with because its work that produce a something with shape and that contributes to the society is something I was fascinated.
The last company I spoke with was Hy-Vee. They are a touchstone for its costumers’ desire for information on diet, nutrition and wellness topic and committing to health lifestyles. I learned that their health market departments are growing. it features natural and organic products and the consulting services of instore dietitians and chefs. I stopped by and talk with this company because it is a kind of job which it doesn’t come up with my mind at first when I look for the job, but it provides me interests to work the kind of job as marketing position.
The experiences at the Career Far was very interesting and worth for me. I would apply these experiences to consider about my future job and hope to work it well.
The career fair 2020 was a great opportunity to get to know the various companies. I had experiences to attend Japanese carrier fair. Compared with the Japanese carrier fair I felt the environment was more casual and easy to talk with companies people. I talked with three company people.
First, I went to the KTWU table. KYWU is a public broadcasting service member television station licensed to Topeka, Kansas, United States. It locates in the Washburn University campus. The company is now hiring an internship position. It was great to talk with.
Next, I stopped by at the SE2 table. SE2 is one of the fastest-growing technology and services companies in the insurance industry. The reason why I talked at the company was they hire people who can speak the second language fluently. The position needs accounting knowledge.
Lastly, I went to the security benefit tabling. It is an insurance company located in Topeka. The company's open positions are business major- or related. For example, data analyst and financial reporting.
Overall, It was a great time to talk with various kinds of companies. and I took a headshot for linked in which is a great service for my future network.
I found the Career Fair 2020 to be a great way to step out of my comfort zone and talk to a lot of different companies.
The first person I met was Sarah from Advisor Excel. I asked about what opportunities the company currently has any opportunities open and Sarah shared that they will have new internships opening up soon for copy editing and design.
I also visited the USAlliance booth. I interned there a few years ago and one of my old coworkers, Rebecca, was tabling for them. Once we realized we knew each other it was a very nice chat. They currently have the position that I was interning for open as a part-time job and are looking for someone to do a lot of the design work for their agents. They create items for funeral homes to help with advertising the funeral home services.
Among many others, I also talked to the Highway Patrol. I didn’t catch the man working the tables name but he was very energized and friendly. He actually stopped me walking and said I couldn’t walk by all those tables and not stop at one. I really enjoyed my chat with him. Though they weren’t advertising for someone with a design/advertising background he encouraged me to call and ask because that might be open to what I had to offer. The man also preceded to quiz me on all the lasts that I would be good at creating for them.
I actually enjoyed the career fair more than I was expecting. I am also very excited to get the new headshot I had taken today.
I'll be honest, I whole-heartedly forgot that the career fair was happening. Getting there was a panicked scramble of running home to change, running back to campus to get my resume, and then heading off to the career fair itself.I'd built it up in my head to be this strictly planned event where everyone is dressed in business casual and you're expected to have lots of information and questions prepared.
I was very wrong.
The career fair was much more fun than I'd expected. The people at the booths I visited were friendly. I got to see several friends and talk to them about what booths they'd gone to. I even got my headshot taken, even though having my picture taken is one of my biggest fears.
I spoke to two booths that focused on masters degrees. The first was Washburn University's social work masters program. We talked about the program itself and how she wished more mass media students were in the program. I explained my interest in documentary work and the foster care system and ways I could combine it. The second was the Wichita State Master's program. The booth didn't focus on social work but that's what we talked about.
I stopped by KTWU's booth. The man working there was friendly and talked to me about the work and internship opportunities they had. He explained that they didn't have an opening at the moment but to always check in and see, I even signed up to get volunteering information from them.
The last booth I stopped at was the Kansas Department of Correctional Services, or at least I believe that's what it was called. I explained my interest in documentary work and social work. She told me about how there's a wide variety of work opportunities there.
I really enjoyed the career fair and thought it was an important opportunity to learn about potential career paths from companies in the area.
First I stopped by KTWU, and even though they didn't have any full-time positions available, I was made aware of their volunteering opportunities and got a look at how the company kind of operates.
Secondly I talked to KSNT News, even though I work there. I work in master control, which is very separate from the other departments. I spoke to them about working in creative services and what that would look like. Also we discussed what skills I would need to acquire other than video shooting and editing.
Lastly I spoke to Advisors Excel about their creative services department. It was nice to hear about how their department works and what opportunities they have available. I have friends who work there but not in creative so it was nice to hear about that side.
Overall I really enjoyed the career fair and am excited to use the information I learned.
The spring 2020 career fair provided me with a mixed reaction.
I got to the career early and took a quick tour with Kent McAnally. That was beneficial as I got an opportunity to see the whole playing field before beginning any formal interactions with employers.
I just want to say, I had to jump back and forth between the career fair and my internship on Wednesday. I didn’t want to do this, but my internship is pressing me right now with the ArtsConnect move and grand opening getting closer. I gave priority to my internship.
The first employer I met with was Azura: Credit Union as part of the career fair tour. They seemed interested, but the employer shortly ended the conversation with telling me that they currently didn’t have any positions for me considering my qualifications. They did hand over a pamphlet with a link to job listings. They made sure to note down my name for any future possibilities. They have a copy of my resume.
I moved onto Great Plains Media and this was my best experience. The conversation went smoothly, and I left them with a resume. They felt truly interested in what I had to offer, and I could see myself at this employer as a plan B or C to ArtsConnect following my internship. I wasn’t expecting it to go the way it did and for them to have positions I was interested in. They made a note as I was walking away so I think we’ve got a connection moving forward.
I scurried off to internship and found a little time in the afternoon to return.
When I came back, I went over to the photo booth and got my headshot.
WIBW has been on my list of potential employers. My lack of video experience hurt me a bit when they mentioned the current openings they have – as most of them are on the production side of things. I did leave them with a resume because I wanted them to keep me in mind and they brought up and asked about my copy-editing experience with the Washburn Review. That made me feel good, but they weren’t actively seeking anyone for editorial positions.
I stopped by KTWU, but they didn’t have anything open or anything available. It was a bust. Made me wonder why they bothered registering for the career fair.
As I was heading out, I decided to give Advisors Excel a visit. I have had a feeling to avoid Advisors Excel. I don’t like larger companies and have always envisioned myself working with a smaller group. I have had several visits to the Advisors Excel office and I always feel intimidated by how large that agency is – I leave that office wondering how employees can make interpersonal connections with one another.
My personal critique of the spring 2020 career fair is the number of insurance agencies in attendance. I am not interested in insurance – at all. These employers are historically more aggressive in their approach. It is kind of upsetting to see so many insurance agencies, and not many opportunities for art majors – which is something that Sarina mentioned to me. I saw that replicated with what I saw. Additionally, I didn’t like how career services handed me a boat load of paperwork on the career fair when I walked through the door. I was already equipped with my resumes and personal notebook. I didn’t have my backpack on at the time and so I really didn’t need them to load me up with additional things to carry.
Overall, the career fair still holds value – but not for each major on campus. Only for select majors.
During the career fair, I visited several different employers and representatives from graduate school programs. I spoke to KTWU about the community involvement and programs they have in the works right now. I also talked to WIBW about positions they currently have open, including a multimedia reporter, which is something I think I would enjoy doing. I was also interested in the marketing opportunities provided by Emory Lakes Apartments. The representative was kind and honest about the benefits and work her job is able to offer.
I have attended the career fair for the past three years, and I definitely had more confidence going in this year. These opportunities allow us to think outside the box about where our career may take us.
This year was my first time attending so I did not know what to expect, but I instantly noticed that there was not many mass media related jobs. But as said before in class, many places still had room for marketing. However, I was slightly disappointed in the variety of jobs available to apply for and wished there was more to choose from.
Half the time I felt like the vendors wanted to talk to me, but there were also times where I would walk up to a vendor and they either seem uninterested or didn't know what to say. I also thought there would be way more vendors but I walked through the entire venue in under three minutes. There were a couple vendors who I was really interested in and I had a great time talking to, specifically Aspen Square and Inside Ventures.
I also noticed that almost every position sounded the same to me and almost every position entailed the same description. There was nothing that really popped for me which is what I was hoping for. The experience in general made me a bit bummed for other jobs outside the one's I saw. I was hoping to find something out of the box and exciting.
What I did like about the event though was the freedom to give out your resume. It was like applying for the job on the spot, very convenient. I also like how friendly (Most) of the vendors were and when the vendors that wanted to talk would go into great detail about their business.
Overall I thought the event was okay but I really was expecting much more than what was there.
The Washburn Career Fair was an eye-opening experience for me. Not necessarily in the department of finding a career, but realizing how much our university and mass media does for students post graduation. There are not a lot of schools out there that have the connections that Washburn has when it comes to alumni, and the college is able to use them as a springboard for current students. There were so many awesome, local companies that would be amazing starting places for students to begin their professional career.
I went into the career fair knowing that I wouldn't find what I wanted to do in life at one of the tables. However, it was a great opportunity for me to speak to businesses and companies on a professional level. I believe that networking is one of the most important things in life. As the old adage goes, it's not about what you know, it's about who you know. For this reason, I wanted to make sure that I talked to companies and learned about what they had to offer, as it could be useful for me further on down the road.
Of course, in the back of my mind I remembered that athletics is an extremely competitive career choice. There are only so much jobs out there- which is why I acted like I was searching for jobs from the companies that were in attendance. I think that this helped me out, as I was able to put aside my personal bias and learn about local companies in the Topeka area. There truly are some great things happening in Topeka.
Although I don't want to stay in Topeka, I thought the career fair was a beneficial experience. I was able to find a few different things that I can use going forward, and the biggest positive was taking a headshot. I haven't had a headshot taken, so the alumni association offering them was awesome. I will be able to use it on LinkedIn and other professional services moving forward.
I found the Career Fair to be a good experience to learn how to branch out. First I talked to the University of Nebraska because I'm interested in graduate school. Brie Fripp asked me specific questions about my higher education and gave me a brochure on their Master of Arts in Communication program. I would like to look at their website to gain more detail but overall I think the conversation sparked my interest in Nebraska.
Next, I went to WIBW to talk to Chris Fisher who is an anchor and reporter on the station. I told him I was more interested in radio and worked at the station in Ottawa. He was familiar with KOFO and said that's good experience since I get on air time. Even though I discovered my passion for radio in community college I wanted to keep my options open. I talked to him about how I thought TV was intimidating for someone right out of college and he agreed but, Chris told me they really need writers and reporters.
Lastly I met with a representative from Aspen Square who talked about how she does marketing for flipped apartments. Her job does a lot of traveling which originally sparked my interest, she brings apartments and locations to her marketing team. Right now Topeka is hiring at the Emory Lakes Apartments for a sales and marketing professional. I don't think I'm going to apply but this was a good exposure to the sales side of communications.
The 2020 career fair was very worth and great opportunity for me to attend. This was my second time attending a career fair. It is a great opportunity to experience how to get a job in America.
The first company I talked was Great Plains Media, They were friendly and talked about their service in Kansas area. Their specialties are marketing and advertising. You can use your skills which you learned in college and you can learn more at this company. I was interested in this company after I talked to the worker.
Second, I talked to Inside Ventures. They talked about their fun and energetic company culture. I was interested in paid training with a continuous mentoring program. They are currently looking for Inside sales representative as entry level, part time, and full time.
Third, I talked to Intouch Group. They are providing a full-service network, creative services, media buying, enterprise solutions and data analytics to clients. I was surprised that their one of the clients is Otsuka which is one of the Japanese leading company.
The experience I had at career fair was better than last year’s career fair. This time I prepared questions to ask and spent valuable time.
I have participated in such career fairs in Los Angeles and Boston in the past, but many companies that participated in this fair have focused on the local area, and when I talked to them, they give me more detailed description. The big difference was that the people in charge of the company were so familiar with Washburn that I could talk to them in detail about assumptions such as commuting and life support. The career fairs so far haven't discussed specifics for all students coming from all over the country, so this time I think we certainly had a meaningful time to develop my experience.
The first company we talked to was U.S.ARMY. Since many booths were about the army, I was curious from past experience how it was different. Through the conversation, I felt that the American army values practicality and reality. For example, computer engineers are indispensable in recent information warfare, so there is a department specialized in it, and there is also a department of journalism conscious of public relations. They establish very flexible and free organization unlike the Japanese military, so they told me that even filmmaking students like me would have a good role in the army.
Next I visited WIBW TV. Mr. Fisher, the person in charge, said that he was not recruiting positions for video such as an editor at the time, but he gave me a business card immediately when I told him I was looking for an internship. He said that even if you couldn't work for their company as an editor, engaging in it should definitely have a positive effect on your career. By the way, the positions I was recruiting were newscast producer and multimedia journalist. The latter is mainly for writing, TV operation and social media leader, so if I apply, I will do this without hesitation. As he said, accumulating experience got more worth than getting just knowledge, so this conversation became much more valuable than I expected.
Finally, I talked with KSNT new. This is a very simple company and when I told my wishes, the person in charge asked a few questions and immediately recommended me to take the internship. As I was looking for the editor position, he listed up several kinds of software one after another and asked me whether having at least those experiences. I was keenly aware of my lack of experience, but on the other hand, KSNT's internship was the great opportunity to experience them all at once. So I unexpectedly found the shortest way to be an editor thanks to this experience.
I found the career fair to be really organized and really helpful. The recruiters were eager to talk to me, even if I wasn't graduating with a degree in their field. That felt really encouraging to want to apply to their employer.
I talked with Prairie Band Casino and really enjoyed talking to their recruiter. He pointed out that even if I was in public relations, they were still looking for mass media graduates. That I should apply because you never know and that the position open was starting at $60,000. I left his booth with a nice bit of optimism.
I visited KSNT, and their recruiter wasn't nearly as outgoing or wanting to sell his station as much as the casino. But he was knowledgeable. He gave me a position summary for a multi media sales consultant.
I talked to Great Plains Media out of Lawrence, they're radio broadcasting out of Lawrence. I didn't really get a good feel of the recruiters, but I also felt that this job wasn't what I was looking for. It felt more of an entry level and I'm past that point in a job search.
I finally visited the KVC table. I am currently employed by KVC and initially didn't let them know I was an employee. I wanted to see what they had to say and their selling points. They were extremely excited when I stopped and talked to them at first. I let them sell their pitch, then I showed them my work badge. They seem disappointed, but then started talking about how tough it was to recruit at career fairs and if I had any insight about what they might be able to do differently. The only piece of advice that I could give them, was to be honest about the job.
This is my second time going to the career fair and I was a little less nervous than my first time going. I really enjoy the career fair because it allows you to talk and interact with professional individuals that could potentially be future employers. Not only do you get to interact with companies in your field but it also allows you to explore different companies that were maybe not on your list.
I first talked to WIBW and our conversation went well. I felt confident answering most of his questions when he was reviewing my resume. He liked my skills and experience but said I could use a bit more experience to really make me stand out. I ask if he had any opportunities and he mentioned a few that caught my interest. Before leaving I got his business card and told me to follow up with him after the career fair. I think the interaction was a success.
The secondly talked to KSNT News. It was a very similar experience like WIBW. When I asked for job opportunities he said they did not have any full-time positions in my interest but that there were volunteering opportunities. This was good to know since I need some volunteer experience.
I also visited Great Plains Media and it was a good interaction but not what I expected. When further discussing with the rep about my interest there were not many opportunities available. After talking to the rep it seemed like it was not a good fit for me to work there.
Overall, I really enjoyed going to the career fair because it allowed me to be open to different companies. I talked to reps from different career field and they were all great experiences. It helped me improve my one on one professional talking skills. At the end of the day, I felt more confident walking out than when I was walking in.
I found the 2020 Washburn Spring Career Fair to be a rather useful experience. It provided me with an opportunity to present myself in a professional manner and allow me to work on my networking skills. I ended up talking with four different employers and they were all very professional and provided me with insights into their organizations.
ReplyDeleteThe first potential employer I spoke with was KTWU television. I was curious what types of opportunities they offered for someone completely new in the field of tv production. They did inform me that they were not currently hiring any full-time positions, but they did say that they are always looking for volunteers as well as offering internships to help learn the ins and outs of the business.
The next couple of potential employers I spoke to were Derek Roe with Modern Woodmen and two representatives from Bankers Life, both financial service companies. To be honest, I don’t see myself as a financial advisor, but they managed to get my attention and were very professional in representing each of their companies respectively.
I also spoke with Dr. Erin Grant with the Criminal Justice Department for Washburn. I expressed my interest in the forensic sciences. I learned that the forensic technician field has become slightly saturated partly due to the increase of true crime tv shows like Forensic Files and even fictional crime shows like Dexter.
I liked how the event was put together as a whole and I liked the variety of employment opportunities that were being offered there. I even took advantage of getting a professional headshot for my portfolio while I was there. One thing that might have been nice to have would have been a map of where each employer’s booth was located in order to find them a little easier, just a minor critique though. Overall, I thought it was very beneficial event, and I would recommend that anyone looking for potential employment to attend the Washburn career fairs when they become available.
The Spring 2020 Washburn Career Fair provided me with several meaningful opportunities to speak with potential employers, as well as get a new professional headshot taken for my digital portfolio and LinkedIn account. I was able to utilize my networking skills and learn more about what kind of positions I could realistically obtain post-graduation.
ReplyDeleteThe first company I spoke with was Intouch Solutions. Intouch Solutions is an independent, full-service marketing agency for pharmaceutical companies. I asked about their company culture and inquired about what positions they are currently hiring for. The representatives encouraged me to apply for the summer internship program.
Another company I spoke with was Inside Ventures. Inside Ventures is a technology-enabled marketing company that helps large brands acquire new customers through online marketing and inside sales. The recruiter was hiring for sales representatives. We talked about how I could apply my skills from a mass media degree to this type of work. She took down my information and made plans to connect later.
I am planning on updating my LinkedIn with my new headshot from the Alumni Association when it gets emailed to me. I think it's important to keep my professional online presence current and updated.
Overall, I think the Career Fair was a worthy use of my time. I will say that I think career fairs are becoming more outdated, as most employers facilitate the hiring process digitally nowadays. I do see the value in networking and shaking hands with industry professionals, which this event allowed me to do.
I found that the 2020 Washburn Spring Career Fair was beneficial experience to talk with professional employers from various fields. The employers I spoke with are Inside Ventures, Mueller Industries Inc, and Hy-Vee. They provide me with an insight on the working environment in US and an opportunity to consider about not only the kind of job I would like to go but other jobs that is not on my lists.
ReplyDeleteFrist company I spoke with was Inside Ventures. They partner with large brands to scale customer acquisition efforts and specialize in building cost effective campaigns in insurance, annuities and home security. The available position is inside sales representative as full time job. Even it is not my desirable position for me, it is nice to talk with the company which I am interested in.
The next company I spoke with was Mueller Industries Inc. it is an industrial manufacturer that specializes in copper and copper alloy manufacturing while producing goods made from aluminum, steel and plastics. Available position is tech sales as full time job. I was interesting to talk with because its work that produce a something with shape and that contributes to the society is something I was fascinated.
The last company I spoke with was Hy-Vee. They are a touchstone for its costumers’ desire for information on diet, nutrition and wellness topic and committing to health lifestyles. I learned that their health market departments are growing. it features natural and organic products and the consulting services of instore dietitians and chefs. I stopped by and talk with this company because it is a kind of job which it doesn’t come up with my mind at first when I look for the job, but it provides me interests to work the kind of job as marketing position.
The experiences at the Career Far was very interesting and worth for me. I would apply these experiences to consider about my future job and hope to work it well.
The career fair 2020 was a great opportunity to get to know the various companies. I had experiences to attend Japanese carrier fair. Compared with the Japanese carrier fair I felt the environment was more casual and easy to talk with companies people. I talked with three company people.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I went to the KTWU table. KYWU is a public broadcasting service member television station licensed to Topeka, Kansas, United States. It locates in the Washburn University campus. The company is now hiring an internship position. It was great to talk with.
Next, I stopped by at the SE2 table. SE2 is one of the fastest-growing technology and services companies in the insurance industry. The reason why I talked at the company was they hire people who can speak the second language fluently. The position needs accounting knowledge.
Lastly, I went to the security benefit tabling. It is an insurance company located in Topeka. The company's open positions are business major- or related. For example, data analyst and financial reporting.
Overall, It was a great time to talk with various kinds of companies. and I took a headshot for linked in which is a great service for my future network.
I found the Career Fair 2020 to be a great way to step out of my comfort zone and talk to a lot of different companies.
ReplyDeleteThe first person I met was Sarah from Advisor Excel. I asked about what opportunities the company currently has any opportunities open and Sarah shared that they will have new internships opening up soon for copy editing and design.
I also visited the USAlliance booth. I interned there a few years ago and one of my old coworkers, Rebecca, was tabling for them. Once we realized we knew each other it was a very nice chat. They currently have the position that I was interning for open as a part-time job and are looking for someone to do a lot of the design work for their agents. They create items for funeral homes to help with advertising the funeral home services.
Among many others, I also talked to the Highway Patrol. I didn’t catch the man working the tables name but he was very energized and friendly. He actually stopped me walking and said I couldn’t walk by all those tables and not stop at one. I really enjoyed my chat with him. Though they weren’t advertising for someone with a design/advertising background he encouraged me to call and ask because that might be open to what I had to offer. The man also preceded to quiz me on all the lasts that I would be good at creating for them.
I actually enjoyed the career fair more than I was expecting.
I am also very excited to get the new headshot I had taken today.
I'll be honest, I whole-heartedly forgot that the career fair was happening. Getting there was a panicked scramble of running home to change, running back to campus to get my resume, and then heading off to the career fair itself.I'd built it up in my head to be this strictly planned event where everyone is dressed in business casual and you're expected to have lots of information and questions prepared.
ReplyDeleteI was very wrong.
The career fair was much more fun than I'd expected. The people at the booths I visited were friendly. I got to see several friends and talk to them about what booths they'd gone to. I even got my headshot taken, even though having my picture taken is one of my biggest fears.
I spoke to two booths that focused on masters degrees. The first was Washburn University's social work masters program. We talked about the program itself and how she wished more mass media students were in the program. I explained my interest in documentary work and the foster care system and ways I could combine it. The second was the Wichita State Master's program. The booth didn't focus on social work but that's what we talked about.
I stopped by KTWU's booth. The man working there was friendly and talked to me about the work and internship opportunities they had. He explained that they didn't have an opening at the moment but to always check in and see, I even signed up to get volunteering information from them.
The last booth I stopped at was the Kansas Department of Correctional Services, or at least I believe that's what it was called. I explained my interest in documentary work and social work. She told me about how there's a wide variety of work opportunities there.
I really enjoyed the career fair and thought it was an important opportunity to learn about potential career paths from companies in the area.
ReplyDeleteFirst I stopped by KTWU, and even though they didn't have any full-time positions available, I was made aware of their volunteering opportunities and got a look at how the company kind of operates.
Secondly I talked to KSNT News, even though I work there. I work in master control, which is very separate from the other departments. I spoke to them about working in creative services and what that would look like. Also we discussed what skills I would need to acquire other than video shooting and editing.
Lastly I spoke to Advisors Excel about their creative services department. It was nice to hear about how their department works and what opportunities they have available. I have friends who work there but not in creative so it was nice to hear about that side.
Overall I really enjoyed the career fair and am excited to use the information I learned.
The spring 2020 career fair provided me with a mixed reaction.
ReplyDeleteI got to the career early and took a quick tour with Kent McAnally. That was beneficial as I got an opportunity to see the whole playing field before beginning any formal interactions with employers.
I just want to say, I had to jump back and forth between the career fair and my internship on Wednesday. I didn’t want to do this, but my internship is pressing me right now with the ArtsConnect move and grand opening getting closer. I gave priority to my internship.
The first employer I met with was Azura: Credit Union as part of the career fair tour. They seemed interested, but the employer shortly ended the conversation with telling me that they currently didn’t have any positions for me considering my qualifications. They did hand over a pamphlet with a link to job listings. They made sure to note down my name for any future possibilities. They have a copy of my resume.
I moved onto Great Plains Media and this was my best experience. The conversation went smoothly, and I left them with a resume. They felt truly interested in what I had to offer, and I could see myself at this employer as a plan B or C to ArtsConnect following my internship. I wasn’t expecting it to go the way it did and for them to have positions I was interested in. They made a note as I was walking away so I think we’ve got a connection moving forward.
I scurried off to internship and found a little time in the afternoon to return.
When I came back, I went over to the photo booth and got my headshot.
WIBW has been on my list of potential employers. My lack of video experience hurt me a bit when they mentioned the current openings they have – as most of them are on the production side of things. I did leave them with a resume because I wanted them to keep me in mind and they brought up and asked about my copy-editing experience with the Washburn Review. That made me feel good, but they weren’t actively seeking anyone for editorial positions.
I stopped by KTWU, but they didn’t have anything open or anything available. It was a bust. Made me wonder why they bothered registering for the career fair.
As I was heading out, I decided to give Advisors Excel a visit. I have had a feeling to avoid Advisors Excel. I don’t like larger companies and have always envisioned myself working with a smaller group. I have had several visits to the Advisors Excel office and I always feel intimidated by how large that agency is – I leave that office wondering how employees can make interpersonal connections with one another.
My personal critique of the spring 2020 career fair is the number of insurance agencies in attendance. I am not interested in insurance – at all. These employers are historically more aggressive in their approach. It is kind of upsetting to see so many insurance agencies, and not many opportunities for art majors – which is something that Sarina mentioned to me. I saw that replicated with what I saw. Additionally, I didn’t like how career services handed me a boat load of paperwork on the career fair when I walked through the door. I was already equipped with my resumes and personal notebook. I didn’t have my backpack on at the time and so I really didn’t need them to load me up with additional things to carry.
Overall, the career fair still holds value – but not for each major on campus. Only for select majors.
During the career fair, I visited several different employers and representatives from graduate school programs. I spoke to KTWU about the community involvement and programs they have in the works right now. I also talked to WIBW about positions they currently have open, including a multimedia reporter, which is something I think I would enjoy doing. I was also interested in the marketing opportunities provided by Emory Lakes Apartments. The representative was kind and honest about the benefits and work her job is able to offer.
ReplyDeleteI have attended the career fair for the past three years, and I definitely had more confidence going in this year. These opportunities allow us to think outside the box about where our career may take us.
The following was my reaction to the career fair:
ReplyDeleteThis year was my first time attending so I did not know what to expect, but I instantly noticed that there was not many mass media related jobs. But as said before in class, many places still had room for marketing. However, I was slightly disappointed in the variety of jobs available to apply for and wished there was more to choose from.
Half the time I felt like the vendors wanted to talk to me, but there were also times where I would walk up to a vendor and they either seem uninterested or didn't know what to say. I also thought there would be way more vendors but I walked through the entire venue in under three minutes. There were a couple vendors who I was really interested in and I had a great time talking to, specifically Aspen Square and Inside Ventures.
I also noticed that almost every position sounded the same to me and almost every position entailed the same description. There was nothing that really popped for me which is what I was hoping for. The experience in general made me a bit bummed for other jobs outside the one's I saw. I was hoping to find something out of the box and exciting.
What I did like about the event though was the freedom to give out your resume. It was like applying for the job on the spot, very convenient. I also like how friendly (Most) of the vendors were and when the vendors that wanted to talk would go into great detail about their business.
Overall I thought the event was okay but I really was expecting much more than what was there.
The Washburn Career Fair was an eye-opening experience for me. Not necessarily in the department of finding a career, but realizing how much our university and mass media does for students post graduation. There are not a lot of schools out there that have the connections that Washburn has when it comes to alumni, and the college is able to use them as a springboard for current students. There were so many awesome, local companies that would be amazing starting places for students to begin their professional career.
ReplyDeleteI went into the career fair knowing that I wouldn't find what I wanted to do in life at one of the tables. However, it was a great opportunity for me to speak to businesses and companies on a professional level. I believe that networking is one of the most important things in life. As the old adage goes, it's not about what you know, it's about who you know. For this reason, I wanted to make sure that I talked to companies and learned about what they had to offer, as it could be useful for me further on down the road.
Of course, in the back of my mind I remembered that athletics is an extremely competitive career choice. There are only so much jobs out there- which is why I acted like I was searching for jobs from the companies that were in attendance. I think that this helped me out, as I was able to put aside my personal bias and learn about local companies in the Topeka area. There truly are some great things happening in Topeka.
Although I don't want to stay in Topeka, I thought the career fair was a beneficial experience. I was able to find a few different things that I can use going forward, and the biggest positive was taking a headshot. I haven't had a headshot taken, so the alumni association offering them was awesome. I will be able to use it on LinkedIn and other professional services moving forward.
I found the Career Fair to be a good experience to learn how to branch out. First I talked to the University of Nebraska because I'm interested in graduate school. Brie Fripp asked me specific questions about my higher education and gave me a brochure on their Master of Arts in Communication program. I would like to look at their website to gain more detail but overall I think the conversation sparked my interest in Nebraska.
ReplyDeleteNext, I went to WIBW to talk to Chris Fisher who is an anchor and reporter on the station. I told him I was more interested in radio and worked at the station in Ottawa. He was familiar with KOFO and said that's good experience since I get on air time. Even though I discovered my passion for radio in community college I wanted to keep my options open. I talked to him about how I thought TV was intimidating for someone right out of college and he agreed but, Chris told me they really need writers and reporters.
Lastly I met with a representative from Aspen Square who talked about how she does marketing for flipped apartments. Her job does a lot of traveling which originally sparked my interest, she brings apartments and locations to her marketing team. Right now Topeka is hiring at the Emory Lakes Apartments for a sales and marketing professional. I don't think I'm going to apply but this was a good exposure to the sales side of communications.
The 2020 career fair was very worth and great opportunity for me to attend. This was my second time attending a career fair. It is a great opportunity to experience how to get a job in America.
ReplyDeleteThe first company I talked was Great Plains Media,
They were friendly and talked about their service in Kansas area. Their specialties are marketing and advertising. You can use your skills which you learned in college and you can learn more at this company. I was interested in this company after I talked to the worker.
Second, I talked to Inside Ventures. They talked about their fun and energetic company culture. I was interested in paid training with a continuous mentoring program. They are currently looking for Inside sales representative as entry level, part time, and full time.
Third, I talked to Intouch Group. They are providing a full-service network, creative services, media buying, enterprise solutions and data analytics to clients. I was surprised that their one of the clients is Otsuka which is one of the Japanese leading company.
The experience I had at career fair was better than last year’s career fair. This time I prepared questions to ask and spent valuable time.
I have participated in such career fairs in Los Angeles and Boston in the past, but many companies that participated in this fair have focused on the local area, and when I talked to them, they give me more detailed description. The big difference was that the people in charge of the company were so familiar with Washburn that I could talk to them in detail about assumptions such as commuting and life support. The career fairs so far haven't discussed specifics for all students coming from all over the country, so this time I think we certainly had a meaningful time to develop my experience.
ReplyDeleteThe first company we talked to was U.S.ARMY. Since many booths were about the army, I was curious from past experience how it was different. Through the conversation, I felt that the American army values practicality and reality. For example, computer engineers are indispensable in recent information warfare, so there is a department specialized in it, and there is also a department of journalism conscious of public relations. They establish very flexible and free organization unlike the Japanese military, so they told me that even filmmaking students like me would have a good role in the army.
Next I visited WIBW TV. Mr. Fisher, the person in charge, said that he was not recruiting positions for video such as an editor at the time, but he gave me a business card immediately when I told him I was looking for an internship. He said that even if you couldn't work for their company as an editor, engaging in it should definitely have a positive effect on your career. By the way, the positions I was recruiting were newscast producer and multimedia journalist. The latter is mainly for writing, TV operation and social media leader, so if I apply, I will do this without hesitation. As he said, accumulating experience got more worth than getting just knowledge, so this conversation became much more valuable than I expected.
Finally, I talked with KSNT new. This is a very simple company and when I told my wishes, the person in charge asked a few questions and immediately recommended me to take the internship. As I was looking for the editor position, he listed up several kinds of software one after another and asked me whether having at least those experiences. I was keenly aware of my lack of experience, but on the other hand, KSNT's internship was the great opportunity to experience them all at once. So I unexpectedly found the shortest way to be an editor thanks to this experience.
I found the career fair to be really organized and really helpful. The recruiters were eager to talk to me, even if I wasn't graduating with a degree in their field. That felt really encouraging to want to apply to their employer.
ReplyDeleteI talked with Prairie Band Casino and really enjoyed talking to their recruiter. He pointed out that even if I was in public relations, they were still looking for mass media graduates. That I should apply because you never know and that the position open was starting at $60,000. I left his booth with a nice bit of optimism.
I visited KSNT, and their recruiter wasn't nearly as outgoing or wanting to sell his station as much as the casino. But he was knowledgeable. He gave me a position summary for a multi media sales consultant.
I talked to Great Plains Media out of Lawrence, they're radio broadcasting out of Lawrence. I didn't really get a good feel of the recruiters, but I also felt that this job wasn't what I was looking for. It felt more of an entry level and I'm past that point in a job search.
I finally visited the KVC table. I am currently employed by KVC and initially didn't let them know I was an employee. I wanted to see what they had to say and their selling points. They were extremely excited when I stopped and talked to them at first. I let them sell their pitch, then I showed them my work badge. They seem disappointed, but then started talking about how tough it was to recruit at career fairs and if I had any insight about what they might be able to do differently. The only piece of advice that I could give them, was to be honest about the job.
This is my second time going to the career fair and I was a little less nervous than my first time going. I really enjoy the career fair because it allows you to talk and interact with professional individuals that could potentially be future employers. Not only do you get to interact with companies in your field but it also allows you to explore different companies that were maybe not on your list.
ReplyDeleteI first talked to WIBW and our conversation went well. I felt confident answering most of his questions when he was reviewing my resume. He liked my skills and experience but said I could use a bit more experience to really make me stand out. I ask if he had any opportunities and he mentioned a few that caught my interest. Before leaving I got his business card and told me to follow up with him after the career fair. I think the interaction was a success.
The secondly talked to KSNT News. It was a very similar experience like WIBW. When I asked for job opportunities he said they did not have any full-time positions in my interest but that there were volunteering opportunities. This was good to know since I need some volunteer experience.
I also visited Great Plains Media and it was a good interaction but not what I expected. When further discussing with the rep about my interest there were not many opportunities available. After talking to the rep it seemed like it was not a good fit for me to work there.
Overall, I really enjoyed going to the career fair because it allowed me to be open to different companies. I talked to reps from different career field and they were all great experiences. It helped me improve my one on one professional talking skills. At the end of the day, I felt more confident walking out than when I was walking in.