Career fairs are golden opportunities to parse through the various career and job offerings that are out on the market.  They’re usually well-organized, the vendors are usually friendly and everybody there has a common goal: meeting, connecting and getting careers started.

Over 60 vendors, more than ACC has had at a career fair yet, ranging from UPS to Lifecare Center of Littleton to the Highlands Ranch Community, crowded into the Summit Room on Wednesday, March 22nd.  From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., over 200 students and community members combed through the gathering of potential employers, many walking away from the fair having made valuable connections.

As ACC student Emily Solis noted, “I feel like the people here were very interactive, they came up to you, they were eager to talk to you about what they’re doing.”

“I feel like it’s a great opportunity for people to come in and look,” remarked another student.

Job offerings ranged from part-time summer jobs to full-time careers.

But even vendors were excited for the opportunity to meet Arapahoe students, with some traveling across the country just to set up a table.  Companies such as Proctor & Gamble came all the way from Cincinnati, Ohio to specifically hire ACC students majoring in any of the sciences or maths, students majoring in psychology and sociology, even anthropology students, all for their research department.

“We want someone who’s going to be happy in a technical career system”, said Claire Hayhow, Affinity and Logistics Manager of Research and Development at P&G.  She said the company was looking for someone who would be “happy to work in a lab, or with consumers”, not necessarily shooting to become CEO.

Students interested in other forms of careers and advancements had plenty of options to choose from.  As follows the trends of demand, healthcare was largely present.  But Solis was saddened to notice that “there was a lack of mental health booths”, despite the wide variety of healthcare employment options.  Some students expressed disappointment that some of their interests, like graphic design, weren’t really represented.

But that does not mean that there aren’t openings for mental health or graphic design careers and internships within the companies that attended.  In fact, there seems to be a myth surrounding student job fairs: that if a student’s major or interest isn’t represented, that there are no openings for them.

Wendy Winter-Searcy, Director of the Career and Transfer Center, believes that this myth is just that: a myth.

“Actually, there were several ‘hidden’ opportunities for graphic designers [or students interested in mental health], never advertised, but by asking questions, some students got a great advantage. Healthcare organizations hire for IT, not just medical,” said Winter-Searcy.

But this isn’t the only myth that pervades student career fairs, draining hope from students and leading them astray from the many potential opportunities.  ‘It doesn’t matter what I say or do, the employers won’t remember’ and ‘I only really need to go a career fair when I’m looking for a job or are graduating’ are two more common, yet misleading, myths.

Winter-Searcy says that neither of these is true, that students should go to network and explore opportunities that might not be present otherwise.

“First impressions count, and you will never get that opportunity back.  Some of the same recruiters come every year and want to build long-term relationships with students,” she said.

And this applies well beyond the arena of healthcare.  Employers such as Home Depot, or Anchor Network Solutions or even Littleton School District hire students and applicants from all sorts of educational and professional backgrounds; the key is to ask pointed questions, to network and connect and to make a proper first impression.

“The more you ask people, the more they like it.  The more they open up,” said Leah Porter, ACC Student and CCCS Student Representative, who was in attendance to explore some more networking options.

But in some cases, the questions, networking, and connections come to you.  Some vendors, such as Debbie Smith, a Nutrition Services Office Manager within the Littleton Public Schools District, who was also representing LPS at their booth, was eager to approach wandering students.  She wanted to inform them of the opportunities that weren’t plainly apparent at first glance at her booth.

“We’re recruiting for support staff – nutrition services, custodial, transportation, after school child care,” said Smith.  “The thing is many people who think about school district jobs only think of teachers.  You can be a mechanic in a school district, a plumber.  You don’t just have to work at the educational level.”

And job and networking opportunities were not the only things offered at ACC’s Career Fair — a resume workshop was also located near the fair, just up the stairs from the Summit Room in the Student Lounge.

Students were encouraged to attend the workshop, open during the entire fair, and bring in their resumes to be reviewed and critiqued; polished, if you will.  Student Government President Tasha Estein was one such student who took advantage of the workshop’s resume polishing.  While searching for a potential job to occupy her summer, Estein thought it a good time to give her resume a good dusting off.

“They offered lots of great resources.  I typed up a resume, brought it in.  Then they critiqued it and offered suggestions,” said Estein.  She also came away from the workshop with a few of her misconceptions broken.

“I had lots of misconceptions about what a resume should look like.  I thought that you could only have one page; I cut things out that I thought were ‘less important’.”  

What, then, should go on a resume?  

“More current stuff, not everything you’ve ever done,” suggested Estein.  She recommended including the notable things one has done in the last 10 years or so.

Although this fair has already passed us by, students can still take advantage of the advice Winter-Searcy has for those who wish to attend more career fairs in the future:

“Prepare before going to a career fair.  Read up on who is coming and see what they do so that you can have informed questions to ask.  Keep an open mind about opportunities.”

And with open minds come open opportunities.  Happy hunting.