Career fairs can be life-changing. Just ask Glenn Gibney, Associate Vice President for Career Readiness and leader of the Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD) at Georgia Southern University.
“I got my first job at a college career fair,” he explained.
That’s why his office has been pushing to bring career readiness and career fairs into focus through events like Career Showcase Week.
This year’s edition of Career Showcase Week, which took place Sept. 16-19, reached more than 2,500 students through events like a Technical Career Day that featured employers from the STEM fields and other technical professions as well as Non-Technical Day, which focused more on opportunities in business and government. During these events, employers from around the region visit campus to recruit, interview and even hire students on the spot.
“This is the largest number of employers on campus during one recruitment week in Georgia Southern's history,” said Caitlyn Cofer, Director of Operations for OCPD. “Last semester we set the record at 218. This fall we've far exceeded that with 265 companies across four days of events.”
Additional events throughout the week included opportunities for students to explore career paths, network with industry leaders and potentially more.
“Our OCPD team has worked hard to create networking and job opportunities for our students,” said Gibney. “Attending an employer networking event or a career fair gives students direct interaction with employers, presents new opportunities for internships and full-time jobs, gives them insight into what employers are looking for and helps to build confidence in a professional setting.”
But the opportunities don’t end there, Cofer noted.
“Most people may not realize that roughly 20% of the companies actually opt to interview students in locations around campus the very next day,” Cofer added. “Employers take over spaces in the Russell Union, Williams Center, Parker College of Business and IT Building on Wednesday and Thursday, sometimes making job and internship offers on the spot. Last semester employers interviewed over 180 students and we expect to exceed that number this year.”
Based on data collected by OCPD, students who attend career fairs can even gain additional income when beginning their careers.
“According to data from our First Destination Survey Outcomes Report, we know that Georgia Southern graduates who attend a career fair while enrolled receive over $14,000 more in average starting salary than their peers who do not,” Cofer said.
This was the second iteration of Career Showcase Week in its current format. Previously held as two different career-fair-focused weeks, the new format has been met with positive feedback.
“Following Hurricane Idalia's disruption of our STEM Fair in August 2023, we were forced to consolidate our two weeks into one later in September,” Cofer said. “We expected this to be a one-time adjustment but were surprised to learn that both the campus community and our employers appreciated the combined approach. Our career fair received a 9.86/10 satisfaction rating from attendees — the highest we've ever had. So our team, along with partners across campus, decided to make this the new strategy and launched a rebranded career week, called Career Showcase Week, last spring.”
Cofer added that students, regardless of major or class, are encouraged to attend these events because opportunities are available for all students. Alumni are also invited to attend the career fairs.
For more information Career Showcase Week or the services provided through the OCPD, visit www.GeorgiaSouthern.edu/ocpd.