On Wednesday, March 31, from 10 a.m. until 2 a.m., education students are invited to the D.P. Culp Center’s third floor ballroom to present their résumés to potential employers. Representatives from the Dandridge, Jefferson City, Campbell County, Knox County, Hawkins County and Kingsport City school systems will be taking résumés for available jobs, grades K-12. Representatives from the Mountain Youth Academy in Mountain City, Tenn., will also be available, as well as employers from Eastman Chemical Company.

“They have a large health fitness program for the whole plant at Kingsport,” said Mitzi Edwards, information research tech with ETSU’s Career and Internship Services. “They have several workout centers set up in different buildings. They have exercise classes, exercise programs, healthy eating programs.”

Résumés submitted to Eastman will be considered for positions within the health fitness program, and those chosen to fill the positions will be responsible for teaching employees about the program.

Representatives from Milligan College will also be at the fair, distributing information about its Masters in Education program.

“The education fair is great,” said Edwards. “It gives (students) the experience and they can actually learn more by talking to the representatives.”

“Also, on the reverse side, students will be able to see what is offered with a school system job,” said Erica Johnson, graduate assistant for the Office of Career and Internship Services. “Some school systems might offer different health benefits or different salaries and things like that, and they will have different information about what their system offers.”

Additionally, both Edwards and Johnson agree that despite the convenience of being able to apply for jobs online, nothing beats a face-to-face first impression. Johnson recommends attendees dress “very professionally,” and come equipped with an updated résumés, a cover letter and at least one interview question.

“I would do some research,” said Johnson. “I would go online and do research about the school systems, what they’re looking for, and have résumés ready to accentuate the skills they have.”

Anyone wishing to have a résumé or cover letter looked over before the education fair can stop by the Career and Internship Services Office, located inside the ARC on the second level of the Culp Center.

“Usually with cover letters, you want it specific,” Johnson said. “However with the career fair setting, it’s understandable if you want to make a general one, as long as you say . why you would want a job with this school system.”

Johnson also addressed lower representation of employers at this year’s education fair as compared to years past, but she assures this is no reflection of the future of education. Rather, it’s something career fairs on campus are experiencing across the board.

“The education majors out there, we don’t want them to be discouraged because there’s a lot of factors that go into this,” she said.

“Coming to this would not be a waste of time.”

Johnson also mentioned four “very nice gifts” that will be given away as door prizes after the event. Attendees can enter by filling out a survey regarding the education fair, and they do not have to be present to win.

For more information about the career fair, or to receive guidance on résumés, cover letters and questions to ask potential employers, contact the Office of Career and Internship Services at 423-439-4450.

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