Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - The University of Wisconsin-Platteville will be holding its Spring 2006 Career Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Velzy Commons in the Ullsvik Center.

Students who attended the university's Fall Career Fair said it was very useful. Opportunities open to students included internships, co-ops, and part-time and full-time positions. Students talked with representatives from various companies and learned not only about available positions but also about the field in general. Approaching and talking with company representatives also gave students experience they may use in future interviews. The Spring Career Fair will be another chance for students to learn and connect with employers.

Cassandra Puls, a junior majoring in business administration with a marketing emphasis, is especially grateful she took the initiative to seek out employers even though they weren't all looking for people with her major. One of the companies she approached was Pella Corporation in Iowa. "I decided to just ask if they offered anything for business majors. ... By taking the initiative and having one of them glance over my resume, I was eventually asked to visit Pella, Iowa, and was offered a co-op marketing position," said Puls. She has accepted and will be going to do a summer/fall marketing co-op with Pella Corp next year.

Although a list of employers was helpful to get her started, she is glad she did not limit herself to it. An industrial engineering student, Ysai Reyes, said he took a similar approach. Expecting to graduate in December 2006, this fall was the first Career Fair he had attended. He went with the hope of securing a summer internship, and at first, he followed his list, only stopping at specific booths. After receiving advice from a UWP alumna at the fair, he started talking with other employers to see what their companies were about and what kinds of positions were available. He said this experience was very valuable. He said, "It was good to talk with employers in the field. You learn about the companies and what they're looking for. It was helpful to see how the job is -you can look ahead to see what you'll be doing." Another piece of advice he gained at the fair was to not be too focused on a single company, ignoring other possibilities that might be better. Reyes said, "Maybe you will have a better opportunity somewhere else or something else will interest you more. ... After a while, I just forgot about my list and talked with as many people as I could. I spent about two hours there." Although he has not received a call back yet for a summer internship, he is glad he attended the fair and will be going to the one in spring. He said, "Even if you don't get the job, you have that experience talking with people and it might prepare you for the interview. The more exposure you have to that kind of situation, the more comfortable you become."

Students with a CareerLink account are welcome to pre-register for the career fair. Anyone interested in learning more about the upcoming career fair may e-mail Diana Trendt at trendtd@uwplatt.edu, call her at (608) 342-1183, or visit the website at www.uwplatt.edu/careercenter/careerfair/index.html

Contact: Diana Trendt, Career Center, (608) 342-1183,trendtd@uwplatt.edu

Prepared by: Kate McKinney, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, mckinnka@uwplatt.edu