At a glance
“We always encourage students, from freshmen on up, to participate. Those who aren’t ready to start looking for work can simply walk around and see what a career fair is,” said Elaine Morsman, director of the Alfred State Center for Career Development.
Whether on the hunt for a full-time job, internship, or new professional connections, over 500 Alfred State College students recently flocked to the spring career fair on the main campus with résumés in hand.
Each semester, the career fairs at Alfred State help prepare students of all levels and backgrounds for that next important phase of their lives through face-to-face interactions with employers. This semester was no exception, as the Alfred career fair brought in 92 employers from a wide range of industries. Another career fair held on the Wellsville campus brought in 80 employers earlier in March.
“We always encourage students, from freshmen on up, to participate. Those who aren’t ready to start looking for work can simply walk around and see what a career fair is,” said Elaine Morsman, director of the Alfred State Center for Career Development. “As they progress in their college career, they can begin to introduce themselves, then apply for summer jobs, then internships, and eventually full-time career jobs.”
While open to internship opportunities, architecture student Shannon Fay, of Schuylerville, was mainly looking to network at the Alfred career fair, saying, “I want to get to know faces so that, when I start applying next year, I’ll be connected to some people here.”
Also at the event, the Business Professionals of America (BPA) Club students sponsored a LinkedIn photo booth. This allowed students to get professional headshots taken for their LinkedIn profiles.
Employers came away with very positive reactions to speaking with ASC students that day. Representatives from CAF USA, a railway manufacturing company, said they were impressed by students’ energy levels and preparedness, while describing their first recruiting experience at Alfred State.
“You’ve got some really good candidates here that we’re super excited about,” said Joshua Michal, HR manager for CAF USA in Elmira Heights. “We’re enjoying the fair. It’s definitely been a good turnout today.”
Aerotek, a recruiting and staffing company for engineering, architecture, and construction industries, has attended numerous Alfred State career fairs in the past.
“A lot of our clients look for students specifically from Alfred State because many of them, especially in the architecture and construction fields, graduated from here,” explained Kelly Fenton, a construction services account manager. “We see a lot more of our clients sending representatives themselves because they’ve heard good things.”
Representatives from New York Leak Detection, Inc. (NYLD) shared particular interest in Alfred State surveying students. According to Chelsea Marnell, a career development specialist at NYLD, “There aren’t a lot of schools that offer surveying and we’re looking for students with hands-on experience.”
Reflecting on the event, Morsman noted, “The career fair is the culmination of all of the work that our office does throughout the year — working with students to prepare them, employer relations, résumé critiques, workshops, etc. It is so incredibly rewarding when we see students arrive dressed professionally with résumés in hand, eager to introduce themselves to employers. It really doesn’t get any better than that.”