A world of career and employment opportunity was on display for students on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 as the Trent University Career Centre presented their annual career fair at the Trent Community Sport and Wellness Centre.

“It is a great way for students to meet potential employers,” said Danielle DeVries, employer services advisor for the Trent Career Centre. “With 59 businesses and institutions represented here, there are definitely opportunities and possibilities that students will not have thought of themselves – it’s that diverse.” An estimated 600 were in attendance browsing booths.

For the first time ever, the Career Centre was offering résumé consultation at the event – and there was a steady line-up of students taking advantage of the service.

“The students have been really eager to fine tune their résumés,” reported Ms. DeVries.  “They want to put their best foot forward at events like this.”

The fair also represented a good opportunity for employers to recruit.

“These companies and organizations get to meet a lot of great, new talent,” explained Ms. DeVries. “They get to talk to hundreds of soon-to-be grads that are eager to bring their skills to the table.”

Brian McKinley, division director for the Investors Group, had a crowd at his booth all day.  He recognized the need for new workers. “It’s a great time for graduates,” he said.  “We have an aging population, with many people retiring from their careers. This opens up a lot of chances for young people.”

Fourth-year biology/psychology student, Carly Robillard, was carefully going through brochures at the Trent-Severn Waterway booth and had a host of questions. For Ms. Robillard, the event meant finding career choices that she had not thought of before.  “There is only so much information that you can glean online,” she said. “And chances are good that you are not going to find things that you hadn’t really already been considering. At events like this, you find opportunities in fields that you might not have thought of Googling.”

Jennifer Blair, a third-ear human geography student, was using the event to network, as well as to find a summer job. “Really, I’m just seeing what is out there,” she said. “I have another year of school left, and then I may want to travel. A fair like this gives me a chance to look at long-term career jobs, as well as more short-term jobs for during the summer and for right after I graduate.” 

Browsing a booth for Odyssey, a language assistance program that hires students to teach English in Quebec, she was surprised to learn that the company not only hires students, but also offers bursaries. “See, I would never have found out about a program like this if I hadn’t come today.”

While the fair only runs once per year, students can still access much of the information through the Career Centre.

“The Career Centre is always here as a resource for students and graduates,” reported DeVries. “We’re available to help people explore a variety of employment options.”

For more information, please contact the Trent University Career Centre, or visit www.trentu.ca/careers/