For many people, post graduate life is a huge stressor. When it comes to finding a job to start your career, most undergraduates don’t know where to start. JMU students are very lucky to have so many resources available, one of the major resources being the JMU career fair. This semester, it falls on Tuesday, September 24th and Wednesday, September 25th. There are many organizations that sign up to present or recruit at the career fair, including representatives from Hilton, the Central Intelligence Agency, Dell, Amazon, and Teach for America. I had the privilege of attending the first day of the career fair, and there was a lot I noticed. Even though it was very rainy, both the representatives and students attending the career fair were dressed in business casual. There were a total of 88 businesses and companies being represented on the first day, with most of them having 2 or 3 representatives to speak with students. I was astonished at the number of students and representatives alike that had shown up, especially considering the rain. I noticed that there were multiple police departments being represented, including Chesterfield County, Albemarle County, and Montgomery County. There were also representatives from the United States Marine Corps and the United States Navy. Although these careers are typically male-dominated fields, I noticed a sizable number of women that spoke to the police departments and the military branches alike. I spoke with a representative from the Albemarle County Police Department and I was pleased that nothing came up in regard to me being a woman. Most people picture a male police officer when asked to envision a police officer rather than a female police officer, despite there being a growing number of females that pursue careers in the police force. I also noticed that a large majority of companies had females as representatives or recruiters for those companies, with the exceptions of the police departments and the military branches listed prior. It was both shocking and refreshing to see female representation at the Caterpillar booth, because I certainly did not expect to see a female recruiter at the booth of a construction equipment company. Overall, the representation was incredible and the turnout was greater than I imagined. I feel that I was able to make meaningful connections, which is incredible for post-graduate plans. Even though I was not able to make it to the second day of the career fair, I feel that I gained so much from going to one day for only an hour. It might seem scary to talk to so many potential employers, but it really has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my undergraduate life here at James Madison University. As a senior, I would highly recommend attending at least one of the days offered at the career fair, even if you stay for as little as 30 minutes. They have companies present for every major, with some companies looking to hire all majors. It might feel intimidating to speak with so many potential employers, and even though it definitely is intimidating, it is so incredibly rewarding. A large number of the recruiters are also JMU alumni, so they know what the JMU experience is like. Many of the alumni I was able to speak with said that they found their job at the JMU career fair!
My takeaways from the JMU career fair are don’t be afraid, make sure you bring what seems like too many copies of your resume, and dress business casual! It is an incredible experience that all JMU students should take advantage of!
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