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Students make contacts at summer job fair

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Attendee of the WSU job fair getting information from one of the booths. | Source: Emily Crooks

Over 4o local employers worked to recruit Weber State University students Wednesday at the annual Summer Job Fair in the Shepherd Union.

According to Tricia Cook of WSU Career Services, many students find long-term employment and careers at the fair, even though the focus is put on full-time summer employment that should help students pay for school.

“I remember one specific girl who met a representative from a company she really wanted to work for at the fair, and she was hired on the spot,” Cook said.

While not all interactions between students and potential employers result in immediate success, many students appreciated the fair to gain an overview of possibilities.

“I am glad this is happening since it is very difficult to find a job that fits my schedule,” said Kendra Schmucker, a social work major who attends school full time.

The fair featured a broad spectrum of recruiters from well-known to less familiar companies and organizations.

One of the more exotic exhibitors was Donna Kraus, a middle-aged woman wearing laboratory clothes and goggles.

“Mad Science is a company from Canada that wants to get elementary school kids interested in science before teachers bore the heck out of them,” Kraus said.  “We basically pay people to go have fun.”

With WSU students from the fields of science and education, Kraus has been organizing science summer camps for several years, partnering with organizations such as NASA and Lego.

Some more famous companies presented unexpected facets and career opportunities, such as the Home Depot retail center located on 12th Street in Ogden.

“A lot of people think that working for the Home Depot means stacking shelves, but in fact, a large percentage of our sales happen online these days,” said Shelby Stoker, a business administration student representing Home Depot.

According to Stoker’s supervisor Gary Trewet, students hired at the retail center can expect to talk to interested customers on the phone or, more prominently, through an online chat feature.

Home Depot was one of the companies looking for the most new employees, 150, at the fair.

Aside from employers, charitable non-profit organizations were also present. Heidi Lelle, of Rising Star Outreach, looked for students willing to volunteer at orphanages in India.

“It is a little bit tough in this part of the building since it is off the beaten path,” she said, referencing the location of her booth in one of the rooms adjacent to the atrium. Lelle added that while at other fairs she had hundreds of people sign up for more information, all interested students at WSU could be listed on just one page.

Grey West, a former WSU student now representing Clear Satellite, a direct sales company, agreed.

“It is a little slow today. I wish we could hold this event at the ballrooms,” he said.

Plans to move the event have been made for the coming years.

“With so many companies willing to be represented, we are considering the ballrooms as a location,” Cook said, adding that this year, as many as 20 companies had to be denied entry due to lack of space.

Students and recruiters meet at WSU's annual summer job fair. (Photo Credit: Kaitlyn Johnson)
Students and recruiters meet at WSU’s annual summer job fair. (Emily Crooks / The Signpost)

 

 

 

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