Ohio University’s Career Network is hosting a STEM Career Fair on Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Baker University Center Ballroom.
The OU STEM Career Fair will bring in employers looking to hire students interested in any of the four pillars of STEM: science, technology, engineering and math. Students will be able to speak with said employers offering both full-time jobs and internships.
Greta Hibbard, a freshman studying physics and math, is largely unfamiliar with the STEM Career Fair, as she didn’t know it existed until she received a recent email about it.
After she graduates, she wants to work in a lab, but her long-term goal is to be a professor. She is currently working on exploring the various subcategories of physics in order to figure out what specific field she wants to end up working in.
“The thing with physics is it’s so insanely broad. There’s so much,” Hibbard said. “There’s nuclear physics and astrophysics and quantum physics. I want internships in different fields … I really just don’t know, since I’m a freshman, what niche field of physics I’m most interested in.”
Hibbard hopes that if she were to attend the career fair, she would be able to make connections that could get her the internships she is looking for.
From 10 a.m to 11:30 a.m. on the day of the fair, there will be a reverse career fair option for student organizations. In addition to the students being able to walk around to employers’ booths, students can register their organization to claim a booth for employers to check out.
Student organizations will be able to showcase their achievements and speak with employers prior to the fair starting, enabling them to better network with companies and increase their comfortability with speaking in a professional manner as they walk around to company booths later in the day.
Caleb Beasecker, assistant director for career and employer engagement, has been the lead on organizing the fair. He said half of his job is helping students with their resumes, cover letters, interviewing for jobs, internships and salary negotiations, and the other half is getting in touch with companies to get them to come to OU to recruit students at career fair-type events.
Beasecker wants students to take advantage of the career fair as a way to curb any nerves they have surrounding networking and ideally walk away with a job or internship at a company they love.
“We are really trying to focus on companies that would identify as being in the industry of STEM,” Beasecker said. “Really, all students are welcome because we know those companies need (a) variety of majors. We’ve found that this industry-focused approach we have is meant to strengthen and expand our reach with companies but also with students to be more inviting to everyone.”
Luke Radecki, a freshman studying engineering, plans on attending the career fair with the hope of getting his foot in the door of the engineering industry.
“I’m going for a class, and I was looking for a summer internship, (so) I thought it would be a good way to look around,” Radecki said.
There are currently 40 companies registered to be in attendance, some coming from a variety of states but many coming from different corners of Ohio. At this time, 100 students are registered to attend the career fair, but Beasecker anticipates a turnout above that.
Now that more in-person events have been taking place, Beasecker is glad to finally have the STEM Career Fair in person for the first time in almost three school years.
“The main thing really comes down to, I want students to get a job that they like. That’s my ultimate goal with this,” Beasecker said.
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