A career/internship fair was held in the Eck Foyer from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 5. The event hosted 14 exhibitors looking to employ Newman students through either full-time, part-time or internship opportunities.
The exhibitors for the event included The Counseling and Mediation Center, Farmers Insurance Group, KNOXX LLC, National Baseball Congress Foundation, Air National Guard, Northwestern Mutual, and Spirit AeroSystems.
A variety of student majors were represented during the event.
Director of Career Services & Cooperative Education Melody Head said, “The students came prepared with resumes, formal attire and created a solid impression.”
Head explained the ever-expanding role of Careers Services in a student’s experience at Newman.
“We’re trying to provide a culture in Career Services that is about career management starting at the freshman level,” she said. “When students first step on campus we provide them with the resources to be proactive in honing their interview skills, marketing themselves on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, and crafting a powerful ‘elevator pitch’ that is a short speech selling yourself.”
Allison Olsonowski, representative for Farmer’s Insurance, stated, “We’re looking for professionalism, and education is a vital part of being a professional. We know those seeking higher education at Newman will be more polished and driven.”
A representative from the Kansas Air National Guard representative said, “The Guard gives the opportunity for students to build real-world experience in their career field, so they can become more marketable. We specialize in intelligence, information technology, human resources and health care. The part-time experiences we offer work well for the full-time student.”
Don Oliphant, regional vice president at Primerica, said, “The students (who) come out of Newman are better prepared for a career. At Primerica we sell financial products with the knowledge of how to maintain a secure financial future. We want people who have a heart to help other people achieving financial success and that level of compassion and skill is found at Newman.”
Exhibitors at the event seemed to share a common notion; they knew Newman students graduate with a career-oriented, competitive edge that most other universities do not equip their students with.
Head’s advice for current students is to start looking for internships, job shadowing opportunities, and networking opportunities as early as possible.
Head provided a final word of advice and encouragement for students: “The job market is always open for people of good character who can sell their value to companies. Newman students have huge opportunities.”
