Get to that Career Fair!

Career fairs are a fabulous way to chat with employers and make contacts.  Don't be afraid to put yourself out there!  Take the risk and go see what's out there in the job market.  Go to the different tables and strike up a conversation with an employer, even if it's not in your direct line of work.  Just because you're not a business major doesn't mean companies don't have departments with almost every field of interest.  You never know -- that one conversation could lead to a potential interview. 

JMU's career fair is this Monday, October 4th from 12-4pm in the Festival Ballroom and Highlands room.  There will be over 100 employers in attendence, so it has an opportunity for every student!  Students are urged to dress professionally.  No jeans!  Bring a few copies of your resume to show it off.  This is not the time to be modest people, remember-- you want a job! 

Career fairs are not just in universities.  There are thousands of fairs all over the country happening all time.  For information on career fairs happening in your area, look to NationalCareerFairs.com.  So get out there, dress up, and take the day to do something positive about your future!

Economic Gloom Seems to be Fading, Studies Say

So there is light at the end of the tunnel!

Many students, especially those like me graduating soon, have been thinking about "the real world" with skepticism.  Our leaders, those around us, and what we see everyday remind us that our economy is not where it once was.  News stories about alarming unemployment rates are the norm, and we often are desensitized to this idea of a failing economy.

But it looks like things are changing!

 Just last week, Washington announced that the recession has ended, and has been on the upswing since last June 2009.  This is not to say the economy is at all perfect, since the economic downturn of the 18 months after December 2007 was the worst since the infamous 1930's disaster.  However, the future looks brighter for our generation, especially those looking to be out on the job market.

In addition to this great news, a post by the Curran Career Consulting blog posted that although the class of 2010 had one of the economies to be met with, more than 100,000 college graduates were on the workforce than two years ago.  Though it is still highly difficult and competitive to grab that dream job, there numbers of jobs will increase for us in near future.  The blog ends with students to become highly focused on what they want to achieve in the job market.  Bottom line, you have to be a go-getter to survive in this current job search.

So don't sit back and say that there are no jobs to look for!  Working on your resume early in the recruiting season is an important tool for getting ahead of the game.  Job fairs and other meetings are important for gaining interest with employers.  But more on that later!  Check back later in the week for advice from some of JMU's Career and Academic Planning Advisers!