West Texas A&M University held the Fall Career and Internship Expo Oct. 19 at the First United Bank Center. Employers came to tell WT students about their career and internship opportunities.
The Office of Career and Professional Development hosted the Expo, which attracted over 120 job recruiters. Students wore colored flags on their nametags to show their goals for the day. Some were flagged as seeking an internship, others as exploring career options. Recruiters at several booths wore maroon tags that marked them as WT alumni.
“Yes, it’s such a blessing to welcome them back home,” Kat Kane, senior director of career and professional development, said. “We actually have a lot of companies who will send their alumni back.”
Xander Davis, a senior biochemistry major who described himself as a “life’s a journey kind of guy,” was interested in speaking to recruiters from Pantex.
“I was in the [Natural Sciences Building] NSB and some dude handed me a flier, so,” Davis said. “And I am a senior, so I kind of need to start going to career fairs.”
Freshmen also attended the Expo, such as Marta Mercado, a freshman digital communication and media major who is also enrolled in The Prairie News practicum course. Mercado attended the Expo for class credit but said that she also came to get a head start on her career prospects.
“I know what type of job I would like to have, but I do not know who would be hiring,” Mercado said. “Or how I would actually get to that job.”
To guide students through the recruiter booths, The Office of Career and Professional Development supplied students with Expo maps.
“So students have an opportunity to see of these 125 companies which are hiring for [someone] like them,” Kane said. “We also encourage students to think outside of the box and chat with companies that are not historically looking for them because most companies have a variety of majors.”
Davis said he made some specific preparations for the Expo.
“I’ve done mock interviews,” Davis said. “I bought this shirt because I don’t have any nice shirts. Well, I have one nice shirt now.”
At the Spring Career and Internship Expo, the Office of Career and Professional Development piloted the Expo Tour program. The goal of the tours is to introduce the career fair process to underclassmen and to give upperclassmen a space to take a break during the Expo.
“It’s about a 15-minute tour; it loops through the Expo hall, helps young students understand how to work the room, what tips, talk to them about their elevator pitch, all of these things to help them be successful in an environment like this,” Kane said. “It’s also really helpful for those that are juniors and seniors seeking internships or full-time jobs, just to kind of breath and take the edge off. Remind themselves of their competence and their abilities. Again, tips to layout the room to make it more accessible for students.”
Information on future Expos and career development opportunities can be found on the Career Services website.
