Students search for a fair job at the Job Fair

Packed into the Mark Twain Building gymnasium on Friday were 103 companies each with a small booth and at least two representatives as well as over 600 students, alumni and other campus guests.

If that seems crowded, it is because it was.

In today's economy, Americans are facing a housing crisis, a recession and high unemployment rates, but employers at this year's Fall Internship and Job Fair did not let the economy deter them from pursuing qualified University of Missouri-St. Louis students and alums looking for work.

"You have to remember that when the economy is tough, employers often look to co-ops and interns (paid positions) to help with the work load," Teresa Balestreri, director of Career Services said.

"Employers can add to their workforce without adding to their headcount when they hire interns/co-ops," Balestreri said. "For this reason, I think that there was little impact on the number of organizations recruiting this year."

Although space was tight in the gym during the job fair, there were many company options for students, the more chances for them to be hired.

"[The companies represented at the fair are] large and small, public and private, profit and non-profit. There are options for all students and graduates," Balestreri said.

Autumn Gordon, freshman, nursing said she was satisfied with the number of different job contacts she made during the fair.

"I want to work in a hospital so I went those booths, like SSM and Barnes Jewish. Both SSM and Barnes told me a recruiter would call me next week. I also went to the Target booth, and UPS. I am even meeting with the UPS people Monday," Gordon said.

Gordon is a one of the students in attendance at the job fair who talked to companies associated with her major, as well as those who accept workers with all types of majors.

Robert Bliss, Dean of the Pierre Laclede Honors College also visited the fair and noticed that many companies represented at the fair were open to students of various majors.

"I visited about 20-25 booths, and at most of them said they were interested in smart university graduates from any major … the IT guy I talked to from Express Scripts was himself an English major," Bliss said.

Pat Gaffigan, district manager at Social Security Administration, represented her company at the fair and reiterated Bliss's point.

"No one comes to us already knowing social security, so we don't look at majors … we look for candidates with a B average and past job experience," Gaffigan said. "We hire many students from UMSL."

Don Pokorny, assistant regional manager for the Missouri Department of Social Services also expressed his company's flexibility of student majors.

He said his company hires people with "many different types of majors," including sociology, criminology, English and political science.

"We want varied and integrated approaches to helping kids get their lives back on track," Pokorny said.

No matter what one's major or area of expertise is, this year's Fall Internship and Job Fair had a lot to offer the UM-St. Louis students and alumni attendees.

"[The fair] gives students and alumni the opportunity to visit with employers that are seeking UMSL candidates. Employers are aware of UMSL's positive reputation when it comes to work ethic and academic preparedness for internships and professional positions," Balestreri stated.

Additionally, most of the company booths at the fair had UM-St. Louis alumni as their representatives. Also, many of the companies hire new UM-St. Louis graduates each year.

"We have almost 50 UMSL graduates working for us currently," said Lisa Filkins, vice president and principal of Human Resources at Colliers International.

Filkins, like many other company representatives, emphasized the importance of standing out and making a good impression on potential employers at job fairs in order to increase one's chances of securing a job.

"We look for professional dress, openness, and resumes," Filkins said, "…but I can't emphasize appearance enough, the way you dress is important, you need to stand out in a good way. If you make a good impression, you are likely to get an on-campus interview from us and, ultimately, be hired."

Therefore, thanks to Career Services and the plethora of companies involved, the UM-St. Louis Fall Internship and Job Fair made it easier this year for a few more people to get a job and begin paying off those college loans.