The fall Career and Grad School Expo brought more than allowed students to learn about post-grad opportunities and network with potential employers.
The Career and Grad School Expo on Oct. 2 brought 49 employers and 26 graduate school representatives to ETSU. Ninety-three students attended the event event to meet recruiters and business representatives or learn more about opportunities graduate school offers.
“It’s really about having [representatives] be interested in our students but also give our students an opportunity to be exposed to see the opportunities that are available both in graduate school and employment,” said Jeffrey Alston, director of University Career Services.
The Career Services office hosts this event each semester. Students nearing graduation are especially encouraged to attend, but the expos are for students at any point in their academic journey. Representatives are primarily from the Tri-Cities and surrounding region, but schools and businesses from Nashville, Chattanooga and Florida were also present.
Students were encouraged to attend the event prepared. ETSU senior Nolan McClain knew professionalism was key in attending the expo.
“Over the past week, I went on Handshake, and I looked at all the different businesses that were going to be here today,” McClain said. “I did a little bit of research, took some notes, found some businesses that I was particularly interested in and figured out some stuff about them, so that way I knew what questions to ask them, what they were interested in, what internship programs they have.”
McClain graduates in May 2020 with a degree in business and marketing management. In preparation for the event, he created a list of businesses he wanted to visit at the expo.
“There were tons of businesses in here, and I didn’t even begin to scratch the surfaces of all of them at all honestly,” he said as he left the event.
McClain had two interview offers, one with Tennessee Valley Authority Credit Union and another with Consolidated Electrical Distributions. He plans to return for the spring expo.
“It just kind of made the conversations easier overall, and they really appreciate it when you come and actually know what you’re actually talking about,” he said.
According to Alston, Career and Grad School Expos are for all students, not just seniors. Students at all points in their academic careers can visit the expos – even if they do not talk to anyone – and learn what the exchanges look like in a professional setting. This way, they can attend future expos better prepared to meet professionals.
“To a lot of students, this can seem intimidating, and we don’t want it to be because this is what they’ll have to do in order to get into the market,” Alston said.
Media and Communication major Kira Barbour graduates in December and said the expo made her feel more confidant that she will find a good job after college. She also believes that students earlier in their academic careers should attend the expos.
“I wish I came when I was a freshman or a sophomore,” she said. “I really do. It would be easier to talk to people, too.”
Career Services aims to make Career and Grad School Expos beneficial to all students. Upon exiting the expo, students participated in a short survey to evaluate the success of the event and offer any ideas to improve future events.
“We also want to know what isn’t here,” Alston said. “So, for example, if a student comes in … and they don’t see jobs or opportunities that are applicable, we also want to know that information just because it lets us know who we need to concentrate on to get them here in the future.”
Students wanting to take advantage of other Career Services opportunities can sign up for Handshake, an online career community much like LinkedIn, which the office provides for free to ETSU students. Students can also learn about more events like the Career and Grad School Expo.
