NORFOLK, Neb. – Several employers met with potential future employees in a face-to-face setting recently on the Norfolk campus of Northeast Community College.
The annual Spring Career Fair, sponsored by the College’s Career Services Office, brought together representatives from 90 companies, agencies and organizations from six states and 358 students in the Cox Activities Center gymnasium.
Bret Williams, director of human resources for Mead Lumber, which has 51 locations in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming, was looking for a variety positions that building construction, design and drafting students may be interested in. The company has been focused on college recruiting among other methods to find staff.
Williams said the career fair at Northeast is very beneficial to a company like Mead.
“It offers us the opportunity to speak with students as well as faculty and staff to understand what Northeast needs and what Career Services is doing to help. It also gives us a chance to explore opportunities for us to come back and talk to classes,” he said. “(The career fair) also allows us to brand and market who we are. Sometimes people think of us as purely a lumber yard and we’re so much more than that. Those are key objectives for us at an event like this today.”
A wide variety of business and industry were represented at the Spring Career Fair, including agriculture, manufacturing, media, retail, criminal justice and technical, among others.
Terri Heggemeyer, director of career services at Northeast, said she was pleased with the turnout. The number of students who attended was up considerably from last year’s event.
“This is always a great opportunity for both students and employers to meet face-to-face. Our career fairs are designed to give students an opportunity to explore the many different career paths available, meet with employers in a more informal setting and practice etiquette skills in speaking with potential employers,” she said. “For employers in this economy, it is a vital resource for them to visit with several students in a short period of time. It’s an easy way to attract potential employees.”
Thirty-six of the business represented at the career fair are in Northeast’s 20 county service area with the remaining firms located outside the 20-county region or out-of-state.
The interactions Williams encountered at the career fair had been extremely beneficial.
“I like how students in particular programs or majors come and talk with us. They are very focused and know what they want. And when you talk about location or where they may want to work and what interests them from a career standpoint, they have a clear direction on that as well. We had some good conversations today.”
To learn more about Northeast Community College’s Career Service Office, go online to northeast.edu/career-services.
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PHOTO CUTLINE
Brytnn Oelsligle (second from left) and Paige Arnold, with CED (Consolidated Electrical Distributors) of Norfolk, speak with Northeast Community College students during the institution’s Spring Career Fair recently. Representatives from 90 companies, agencies and organizations from six states spoke with 358 students during the annual event.