Students piled into the ballroom wearing business attire, carrying stacks of fresh resumes ready to present to employers. The room was filled with the sound of eager interview chatter and the scuffling of shoes as students paced around the maze of tables.
The Cal State Long Beach Fall Job and Internship Fair took place Wednesday and Thursday in the University Student Union Ballrooms. It featured 130 employers offering full-time, part-time and internship positions. Wednesday had around 75, while Thursday scaled back with a little over 50 employers.
“We are having smaller fairs by design so that students have an easier time negotiating,” said Peggy Murphy Hayden, a program coordinator for the employer engagement team. “Hopefully, this makes it easier for both students and employers.”
The Career Development Center sponsored event offered students the chance to speak one-on-one with prospective employers like Boeing, ChildCare Careers, Raytheon Company and Tesla.
Adam Allred, a junior math major, attended the event for his first time searching for jobs involving mathematics as well as teaching and tutoring. He spoke to several technical-based and engineering-based employers relating to his field.
“It’s my first time here, but I think things have gone pretty well,” Allred said. “I already got an email back from Boeing, which is pretty exciting to say the least.”
Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company, has had a long history working alongside the university as a hiring partner for the company.
“We’ve had great success with recruiting students,” said Mary Tiffany, chief financial officer of government satellite systems at Boeing. “Aside from finance majors, we’re looking for engineering and science majors with a drive to work and great work ethic.”
Diana Torres, a junior marketing major, made her way around the ballroom, checking out all the booths looking for anything related to clothing or merchandising.
“This is my first time here and I’m really nervous,” Torres said. “I really wish I had prepared more. I didn’t do any research on the employers here, but I’m still excited and hoping I find something for me.”
Many of the recruiters at the event were Beach alumni looking for students to help rise up in the ranks of their organizations.
Two graduates, Morganne Moon and Breezy Musick, currently work at Expeditors, a global logistics company. They were looking for students of any major eager to become part of their company.
“There is no specific major that can apply here, it’s really open to anyone as long as they have a good attitude,” Moon said. “And what we try to do with other alumni is promote from within and help them climb the ladder.”
Musick and Moon had been hired with the help of one of their sorority sisters, who had attended the job fair a few years ago.
While students had a generally positive outlook on the event, a few attendees have had trouble finding employment in past fairs. Luis Perez, a senior in marketing, has attended job fairs for the past two years but has been unable to land a position. This semester Perez was eyeing marketing employers like Target, Subway and Toyota to seek general management positions.
“I’m graduating this winter, so this will be my last time at the job fair,” Perez said. “I haven’t had any luck the other times I’ve come here but I’m hoping to find something before I graduate.”
Target, the second-largest discount store retailer, was seeking out management-level candidates as well as marketing internship positions.
By the end of the two-day event, many students left with offers of employment, an employer’s contact information, or at the very least, interview experience that will help prepare them for the next opportunity.