SHREVEPORT – Are you a current student or a graduate from a local college who’s looking for a job or a career change?
Make the trek to the Regional Career Fair on Thursday at the Centenary Gold Dome for a chance to meet with nearly 100 employers from across the region.
The event lasts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will have groupings of employers by industry.
Students and alumni from LSUS, Centenary, Southern in Shreveport, Bossier Parish Community College, Northwest Technical Community College and Northwestern State University College of Nursing are invited to wind their way through employer booths on the Gold Dome floor.
Industries most represented include K-12 education, healthcare, defense and law enforcement, financial services, manufacturing, hospitality and casino, government and graduate college programs.
Employers from along the Interstate 20 corridor and East Texas represent the bulk of the employers who will be present, but representatives from different parts of Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi are expected to attend.
“Our advice to students is to have a resume ready to go and to practice your elevator pitch so you can describe yourself to employers,” said Michael Doughty, assistant director of LSUS Career Services. “Develop a plan about the kinds of industries you’d like to talk to.
“One issue we find is that every year some students dress too casually. Business casual attire is appropriate, but if you’re a graduating senior, a suit or dressier clothes won’t be out of place either.”
LSUS Career Services put together a series of resume workshops and other Career Fair preparation sessions to ensure LSUS students were ready. A Career Fair preparation session will occur today with resume sessions Wednesday and Thursday in the Student Success Center.
The event also benefits younger college students who may not be entering the workforce full-time this spring.
“Attending a career fair helps younger students become more comfortable in a professional setting,” Doughty said. “You’ll be talking to established professionals who are well into their careers, and you can get a feel for what kinds of questions a recruiter may ask and the kinds of questions you’ll want to ask employers.
“The experience will make you more comfortable when it comes time to look for actual roles.”
Career fair attendees may also unearth internships or make connections for future employment opportunities.
In a national job market that’s shed jobs in five of the past 12 months with unemployment climbing to 4.4 percent, which is still below average but higher than recent years, Doughty said students should be looking for any advantage in landing a job.
“We are seeing a retraction in jobs, and it makes an already competitive market even more competitive,” Doughty said. “Especially for students looking to stay local, it’s a great opportunity to see what’s available to them.
“Making those contacts is important because presumably there will be a bigger pool of competitors for any given role.”
LSUS students and alumni needing transportation to the career fair can catch a SporTran bus for free at the Pioneer Heritage Center.
For questions, visit LSUS Career Services or reach out to Doughty via email at [email protected].