Meghann Anderson
Staff writer
The third floor of the Curris Center buzzed with professionally dressed students with resumes in hand Wednesday.
The semi-annual career fair ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and was aimed at connecting students with potential employers.
“Our career fair is unique because we morph and change it every year to make it better,” Ross Meloan, director of Career Services, said. “It gives students a chance to get out in front of employers and engage them with future jobs.”
Anna Hunt, human resource intern for Briggs and Stratton, was a representatives at one of the 83 booths at this year’s fair.
She said Briggs and Stratton was looking for college students who wanted part-time work. She took resumes, but to apply, students had to go online.
Along with part-time positions, the company also accepted applications for internships.
Bristol Broadcasting was another employer represented at the career fair. The Paducah branch promoted jobs at stations such as WKYQ and Electric 96.9.
Promotions director Nick Black said the company has been successful with the outcome of the career fair at Murray State.
“We are taking anything and everything as far as resumes are concerned,” Black said. “We have hired students from Murray State through the career fair before and they have excelled in their jobs.”
Along with employers, several colleges also attended the career fair to gain interest from students considering graduate school. One such institution was the Nashville School of Law.
“Because of a greater interest we are doing more recruiting in Kentucky than ever before,” Virginia Townzen, associate dean of Nashville School of Law, said. “We are really hoping students who are considering law school will keep us in mind for their future.”
Jake Darnell, sophomore from Murray, was one of many attendees at the career fair.
“It is a great experience to help find a job,” Darnell said. “My major is criminal justice, but right now I’m keeping my options open.”
Darnell spoke with employers such as Walmart and the Kentucky State Police.
This year’s Career Fair comes at a time when students nationwide are as proactive as ever in gaining employment after college.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) conducted a survey to learn more about student expectations, plans and activities for employment.
Meloan said more than 500,000 students from 559 colleges and universities from all 50 states participated in the survey.
The survey was held from mid-February to April 30.
Murray State was among the universities that participated.
The survey showed the class of 2011 was more involved with career searches than the class of 2010 and saw an increase in job offers. It also showed that students are using social networking more as a way to gain contacts with potential employers.
Meloan said Career Services uses information from surveys like the one NACE conducted to help with things such as the Career Fair.
He said seniors are the most likely to visit Career Services for resume help, but he encouraged all students to come and see the different booths and possible employers.
“The employers have been giving us compliments all day,” Meloan said. “They are happy with the students and the execution of the career fair.”
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