Career Services hosting opportunities for students
Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s (TAMUK) Career Services will be hosting an in-person Career Expo where students and alumni will be able to interact with recruiters about their internships and full-time openings 1-4pm on Wednesday, Mar. 2 in the Student Union Ballroom.
“Since COVID, there have not been too many face to face opportunities for students to interact with potential employers” Assistant Direction of Career Services Tammy Alcala said. “This Career Expo event helps students obtain a positive start to their future career search and offers both students and employers a chance to interact.”
By hosting this event in person, it will allow students to meet face to face with employers and ask questions before applying to the organization.
Recruiters will be in attendance to ask students questions about their coursework, what motivated them to choose their major and graduation timeline and goals. The interactions between employers and students are a series of brief interviews to help students talk about their career plans. It also gives employers an opportunity to attract, interview and hire potential new candidates.
“[By attending,] students can get a better idea of what companies in attendance have to offer,” Director of Career Services Ralph Leal said. “Companies needs business development, human resources, managers, marketers, engineers, software programming, IT specialists, relationship managers and interacting with recruiters at this event will help provide more awareness of all the opportunities that exist with our employer partners.”
Some of the popular booths students will have the opportunity to meet recruiters from are: Oxy, Citgo, Frost Bank, Coastal Plains, Texas Department of Transportation, Republic Finance, Dashiell Corporation, IDEA Public Schools and Texas Department of Public Safety-Texas Highway Patrol. By meeting with these companies, students can benefit from the Career Expo by handing out their resume and have it reviewed. Some organizations may have information on internships, workshops and seminars students can take advantage of.
A common misconception is that Career Expos are only for juniors and seniors in college, but that is not the case. In fact, this event is open for all students at TAMUK.
“I encourage all classifications to attend and explore. This Career Expo especially gives undergraduates a chance to attend, introduce themselves to companies they may be interested in, network and when their time comes, to apply for an internship or job they already have contacts and can reintroduce themselves,” Alcala said.
The pandemic has also taken a toll on these kinds of events and job opportunities because we have not been able to meet with employers face to face.
“As a business student, finding internship opportunities was a struggle during the start of the pandemic,” Joshua Macareno said. “However, now that we are getting back to somewhat normal having an in-person Career Expo allows us to network with employer’s face to face and maybe land a full-time job or internship.”
Career Services will also host a virtual Career Fair Apr. 6 for employers who will not make next month’s in person event. If students would like help with their resumes or cover letters prior to Mar. 2, they can reach out to Career Services via email (careerservices@tamuk.edu) or by phone at (361) 593-2217.