On Oct. 29, the All Majors Career Fair was held in the Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom, courtesy of Advising and Career Services at Portland State.
Here both PSU students and alumni could network with 80 various companies that had booths at the event, offering opportunities from careers and part-time jobs to internships and volunteer work.
“This is a great opportunity for all students to discover potential careers and internships because there’s something here for everyone,” said Greg Flores, the associate director of Advising and Career Services.
Companies represented ranged anywhere from Panda Express to Boeing to the Portland Timbers to the U.S. Peace Corps.
For students looking for a part-time job, Panda Express was on the lookout for hourly associates, and the Timbers were offering unpaid ticket sales internships for students in the sports field.
Boeing was also there to recruit upperclassmen who are majoring in business, engineering and information technology for full-time internships in their specified fields. This undergraduate internship program runs 10 to 12 weeks during the summer and is open to juniors and seniors.
“These are good, paid internships with full-time benefits included for undergrad students [in these majors],” said Nicole Doucette, the PSU campus recruiter for Boeing. She said that Boeing also hires from within, creating potential career options for all interns.
For alumni, the Peace Corps is offering two-year volunteering opportunities through the federal government. Prospective volunteers must have a bachelor’s degree or 10 years of experience in a particular program offered by the organization.
“A bachelor’s [is required because it] prepares you for the unstructured environment of the Peace Corps,” said Ruby McConnell, the campus representative for the Peace Corps.
The Westgate University Program was also in attendance to offer three-month placements in Japan teaching English as a second language for graduates.
Along with career opportunities outside of the university, the PSU Human
Resource Center was at the fair to discuss the 52 full-time positions currently available through the university.
Students also had the opportunity to learn more about the Business Accelerator program at PSU, which is an incubator program dedicated to helping anyone launch a prospective business. This accelerator does not fund businesses, but rather offers them a space in the building, introductions to investors and advertising for jobs, which students could apply for at the fair.
Located off the main campus on Corbett Ave., som aspiring entrepreneurs may not have crossed paths with the Business Accelerator program As Xan Pedisich, the operations manager at Business Accelerator, said, “this [opportunity] is off the student radar.”
The Graduate School of Education at PSU also presented their 53 graduate programs at the fair , including certificates, master’s and Ph.D.s in education.
Students can acquire six initial teaching licenses, from English as a second language to counseling. These programs have been around for around 20 years and have had thousands of PSU students graduate from them.
For those who missed the fair this fall, the All Majors Career Fairs are held once every term and have roughly the same breadth of recruiters.
“[They] reach out to 500 companies each term; we have [preparation] down to a science through SMSU conferences and mapping out the venues,” Flores said.
For students with more specific career goals, Advising and Career Services also puts on four other career fairs: two for engineering and technology, one for non-profit organizations and, starting this year, the Northwest Graduate School Fair. During this fair, representatives from schools all around the Northwest come to recruit future graduates.
For more information on all upcoming career fairs at PSU visit: http://www.pdx.edu/advising-career-services/career-fairs.
