The (Career) Fairest of them All
See how the University of Cincinnati is putting a new twist on the old concept of a career fair to link local businesses with student careers in an innovative, interactive and integrated way.

Anita Todd, UC Associate Professor (left) and Megan Fox, Civil Engineering Senior (right)

To combat the more-competitive-than-ever job market, the University of Cincinnati is adding to its arsenal of student resources.

On September 26, 27, and 28, UC will be hosting its first ever three-day all-inclusive career fair. Businesses in need of recruits are coming from near and far to check out what UC has to offer in terms of employees.

UC has hosted career fairs in the past, but usually held by different divisions or departments within the school. This year representatives from several of UC's departments have come together to form the committee responsible for creating this year's fair. "We felt strongly that by creating a collaborative event, we would actually attract more employers and students all around," says Anita Todd, Associate Director of Academic Affairs at UC.

The way it works is that each department will have their own allotted time slot over the course of the three days. Recruiters will be able to attend the time slots they are most interested in and students in the field will know to attend while the right recruiters are in place. Voila, an instant link between employer and potential employee with little to know hassle.

But what's in it for participants? The new career fair will present better opportunities to students for internships and employment. And while attendance to the event is only permitted to UC students and alumni, the businesses of Cincinnati will be able to interact with some of Cincinnati's finest and most eligible employees. "This is a great opportunity for local employers/universities to tap into the outstanding UC talent pool very early in the recruiting season," explains Todd. Currently there are 70 employers registered according to Todd, by the time the event rolls around UC hopes to have more than 100 employers attend each day of the event.

Aside from the convenience of communicative links resulting from an integrated career fair, the city of Cincinnati will benefit from the change as well. Todd assures that a new, all-inclusive formatting "fuels the local economy by bringing recruiters from out of town to Cincinnati."

UC is doing their part to prepare students thoroughly before they attend the career fair, but businesses need to do their part to be prepared as well. Recruiters will be in charge of setting up their own booths and bringing information or handouts to advertise their company. Participating businesses may also sign up to sponsor the event and have their company advertised for the duration of the event. Also, because the event is scheduled longer than the normal hours of a career fair, businesses may want to send more than one recruiter to handle the influx of students and carry out interviews over the course of the three days.

To learn more about the fair, and to see a schedule of events, click here.

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