On Tuesday, September 23, over 250 undergraduate and graduate students of the University of Texas School of Information converged on the Texas Union Ballroom on the Forty Acres to meet potential employers and practice their professional development skills. The event was the second annual iSchool Career Fair, conceived by leadership as a way to bring professional opportunities directly to students – and to help employer partners meet hiring needs.
A week before the Career Fair, the iSchool also hosted a prep session for students, featuring representatives of Dell, Inc. – one of the employer partners set to host a table at the fair. The purpose of the prep session was to get students thinking about how to put their best foot forward.
“We talk about things like: How do you develop an elevator pitch? How do you dress professionally for a career fair? How do you talk about yourself?” explains Rachel Konakci, assistant director of career development at the iSchool and lead organizer of the Career Fair.
The attention to preparation seems to have paid off. “I had several employers come up to me after the fair and say, ‘We're so impressed with your students. They're fantastic; their resumes look great; they present well,’” Konakci says. “I credit that prep session the week prior for really helping to get our students ready for the event.”
The fair this year took place amid difficult economic headwinds. Whereas 34 employers attended last year, only 15 signed up this year. Konakci attributes the steep drop-off to a hiring slowdown in the tech sector and funding challenges in the public sector, such that libraries and government agencies often found themselves losing rather than adding staff this year. “Obviously, if they’re not hiring, it doesn’t make sense for them to be in attendance,” Konakci says.
Those companies and public-sector entities who did attend, including ExxonMobil IT, Zello, and Analytic Partners, among others, encountered a new layout at this year’s Career Fair, intended to facilitate informal employer-student interactions. As a supplement to the employer tables, Career Fair organizers set up various lounge areas around the perimeter of the ballroom with cocktail tables, bar stools, and couches.
“The idea was to promote a warm, engaging environment where employers, faculty, and students were encouraged to linger and have conversations, versus just standing in front of a booth and then having to leave,” Konakci says. “It played out exactly as we hoped it would. We saw employers sitting down with students, maybe interviewing them on-site, following a conversation at the booth.”
Additionally, a photography booth was commissioned, offering professional headshots for students’ LinkedIn profiles or similar use, catching them at a moment when they were already dressed to impress. “That was extremely popular,” Konakci says. “We had a line there for the duration of the event -- as a matter of fact, our photographer had to stay late.”
The Career Fair effort was launched two years ago in response to a need to better serve the growing professional specialties offered at the iSchool. While iSchool students have always been welcome to attend career fairs organized by other schools and departments, the feeling was that the time had come for a fair focused on the iSchool’s specific areas of concentration.
While this year’s hiring slowdown has been a challenge, the overall Career Fair effort at the iSchool has been a success, with positive feedback from students, employers, and faculty. It’s too early to measure the impact of this year’s fair, but, if last year is any guide, there were likely careers launched at this event.
“Last year, we did have positive hiring outcomes,” Konakci says. “I can tell you, from the interactions I had with employers on the back end, they said they spoke with many students, collected many resumes, and were very impressed. I wouldn't be at all surprised if we see positive hiring outcomes this year, too.”