The Career Services Summer Job Fair brought together students and employers on March 29 to find part- or full-time positions for the summer or the school year.
Fifty-one different businesses attended the fair. Kyle Hole, career assistant at Career Services and the coordinator for the job fair, said the goal of the event was for the employers to meet as many students as possible.
According to Hole, Career Services reached out to businesses via email, inviting them to register for the 53 available spots.
“What we hope is that the students find an employer with a job that fits their needs, if that is just for the summer or throughout the semester,” said Hole.
Gary Trewet, a WSU alumnus with a Bachelor of Integrated Studies, works for Home Depot as the senior recruiter in the Human Resources department. He looked for students who were interested in being customer service representatives and could help customers shop online.
“We want to provide jobs for students where they can learn and grow, but we are hoping that a certain number of them will want to build a career with Home Depot,” said Trewet.
Trewet said he attends the fair annually. He has participated in the job fair for seven years with WSU and has been with Home Depot for five years.
“It is a partnership for us,” Trewet said. “It is not because we just need to hire people, but it is a personal thing for me wanting to give back to the university I graduated from.”
Jake Halter, a WSU student majoring in public relations, said the fair benefited him, and it could also benefit students with coming into contact with new networks. He found interest with a few businesses that attended the job fair.
“It was a positive experience,” Halter said. “I feel like most of these jobs are mainly for the summer, but even in those jobs if you stick with it, can probably be a career.”
However, Angela Perkins, a senior at WSU who is pursuing a Bachelor of Integrated Studies, did not attend the job fair. She was dissatisfied in previous years because the businesses attending the job fair did not offer jobs that had to do with her major.
“What I would really like to do is something with marketing where I can use my graphic design skills and writing, but generally I have not seen artistic or creative jobs that I have been able to find at the job fair,” said Perkins.
