There will be a summer camp job fair today in the LSC Mall Area from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. hosted by Career Services.
14 organizations will be present at the event. Assistant Director of Career Services Vinessa Mundorff said the job fair will be outside instead of the usual inside atmosphere, which will increase the exposure to students.
“They want to be visible and putting them down into the ballroom is not a real visible place sometimes,” Mundorff said. “Having it outside is nice because a lot of the positions that they are hiring for are outside. They just want to be able to interact with people as they go from class to class, and that [LSC Mall Area] is the most visible location that we could find to put them.”
Career Services student employee Jacob Parker said he thinks the difference in location gives this job fair a distinct feel that other job fairs do not have.
“It is unique because it is an outdoor event and it allows students from all over the campus to walk by,” Parker said. “It is not exclusive to a specific major and that is nice. It draws in quite a bit of students.”
The summer camp job fair has been hosted on campus for over 20 years and has become a staple for the university.
Mundorff said many summer camps go to different university job fairs to hire their summer staff.
“They utilize job fairs as their main hiring source because college students are out for the summer and that is when a lot of their programs are running,” Mundorff said. “They are getting smart, bright, educated adults to come and teach at their camps. Going to a university and finding all these folks work really well for them for employment reasons.”
Previous experience in summer camps is not required for applicants because many organizations have their own summer camp culture. The students who will stand out are those who have friendly qualities.
“Many of those companies are willing to train,” Mundorff said. “So the ability to be outgoing, willingness to work outside, work with kids and all those things would be a plus.”
To be successful in the job fair students should bring their resumes, dress business casual and be prepared.
At the job fairs, students basically have an on-the-spot interview. Career Services student employee sophomore Cassity Edwards explained some strong approaches to take.
“It is important for students to be confident and to know what they are looking for,” Edwards said. “Don’t just walk up to the employers and be like, ‘Here is my resume.’ Show your interest in the company. Know your background. You can get the job right then and there, so a good objective to have is to be focused.”
Student assistant to Career Services sophomore William Whitmire explained another tactic to use to make a good impression.
“It would be helpful for students to research the employers beforehand so that they can have a little background knowledge,” Whitmire said. “That definitely helps. It impresses the employers.”
In years past, this spring job fair was for summer camps and internships, until the summer camps became more prominent. Now, the event only hosts summer camps that look to hire.
“Usually we don’t allow any other employers to participate because they don’t get it,” Mundorff said. “They would be like ‘Why is this outside? Why is nobody dressed up? We are hiring for interns and our interns would never wear shorts and t-shirts.’ And we would say, ‘Yes, you are right.’ So that is why we say it is just for summer camps.”
However, there is an exception to the condition this year, Pappas restaurants.
Pappas restaurants will open a new location in the Woodlands area. Since this is a brand new location there are plenty of opportunities available for students.
In case of bad weather, the job fair will be held in the atrium.
Mundorff said today’s job fair would be beneficial to students even if they are not necessarily interested in the field.
“I always tell people no matter what the job fair is called, people need to go to find some opportunities maybe that would go missed if they are just sticking to the same little niche job fair,” Mundorff said. “Sometimes thinking outside the box is the key.”