Thinking ahead to the Career Fair

Your thoughts are probably turning to the holiday break, but now is the time to start thinking past December and into the year ahead. It may seem early, but now is the time to start thinking about summer jobs or careers after graduation and preparing for Career Week, which runs from February 4 to 8.

Career Services' Career Week aims to get students thinking ahead to summer jobs and their future careers, and will feature a number of speakers talking about a variety of topics of interest to job seekers, including volunteering, preparing for the job search and more.

One of the biggest events during Career Week is the Career and Summer Job Fair, which will take place in both J Gyms on February 6.

This marks the 10th annual Career Fair. "It's not just for the graduating students, it's for all students," said Christina Cook, the Career Services representative who is organizing Career Week. "If you are looking for a summer job or if you're looking for something part-time while you're in school, there's something for everybody at the Career Fair."

"We have a lot of different employers coming out from all over Canada," she continued. "We're going to have more employers than ever before."

"It's like a one-stop shop where students can see which employers are hiring," added Larissa Campbell, student services specialist at Career Services. "We're hoping to have a wide variety of employers there," and the Fair organizers are aiming to have employers representing each school of study at Fanshawe.

Over the holiday break, students can do a few things to prepare for the Career Fair, said Campbell. "They should get working on their resumes right now so it's at least up to date. Maybe think about some potential types of jobs they might want to look into. Practice a little bit with interviewing, because they could be having little mini interviews right on the spot, depending on how the employers are approaching it." Students can meet one on one with a member of the Career Services staff to discuss resumes, cover letters and interview techniques, or can attend one of the workshops in the weeks leading up to the Fair.

A full list of employers who will attend the Fair will be available at www.fanshawec.ca/careerservices and will include company profiles and the names of the representatives attending the Fair. Cook recommended students check out the list and make cover letters and tailored resumes for the companies they're interested in working for.

Career Services already has summer jobs posted, so check out their job site now for information — access the job postings through FanshaweOnline. For more information and for updates on the Career Fair, check out Career Services on social media: facebook.com/FanshaweCS and on Twitter @FanshaweCS.