Collegiate Career Fair brings hundreds of job seekers to UIS

Students from the University of Illinois Springfield and three other colleges were treated to a one-stop-shop in finding a job during the 12th annual Springfield Collegiate Career Fair.

The event was held on Thursday, February 18, 2010, in the Public Affairs Center lobby on the UIS campus. The career fair brought in representatives from approximately 100 area employers, along with approximately 400 students and alumni.

“It’s a really good way to network with about 100 different people in a very short period of time,” said Tammy Craig, Career Services Director.

Beyond information about actual job openings, the fair is designed to provide an open information exchange about different organizations, hiring trends and the best routes to future opportunities.

“I thought this would be a great time to get a practice run at a career fair and also just get experience talking with recruiters from companies,” said Vernon Cail, UIS graduate student in Public Health.

Cail hasn’t decided what he wants to do after graduation, but came to the fair looking for government jobs. Other students like UIS junior accounting major Dara Abina came to the fair with a single goal in mind, to find their dream job.

“We’re in economic times where a lot of people really don’t have jobs and people are coming out here to offer jobs. It’s just an amazing experience,” said Abina.

The UIS Career Development Center has been working with students to prepare them for the fair, so they’d know what to expect. That still couldn’t take away all the nerves.

“It’s kind of like a rush because when you walk up to a table you really don’t know what to say, but it just comes out the right way,” said Abina.

Plans are already in the works for next year’s Collegiate Career Fair, which is a partnership between UIS, Lincoln Land Community College, Robert Morris College and Springfield College in Illinois/Benedictine University.

For more information about the Collegiate Career Fair, go online to www.uis.edu/careerservices.