Yesterday, hundreds of Wake Forest students from all years gathered in the Sutton Center for the Career Fair, where they met with representatives from dozens of potential employers across the country.
Undeniably, the student body is fortunate that the Office of Personal & Career Development organized this event. Many students find it a crucial step to connect with employers as they begin their job or internship search.
However, the majority of the employers represented, such as consulting firms and corporations, are more well-suited to the resumes of business students. While the Career Fair may be an especially helpful opportunity for them, other students, such as those who are pursuing humanities degrees and other career paths, may not find as many potential employers that interest them.
It is a challenge and limitation of such events that consulting firms and other business-oriented companies are often more likely to staff formal recruiters and begin recruiting processes in the fall, which means that they are more available to attend events such as Wake Forest’s Career Fair.
The Editorial Board of the Old Gold & Black wishes that companies and employers in other fields — journalism, STEM, social services, information technology, politics, just to name a few — would attend the Career Fair. No formal recruiting required.
An informal process would benefit not only the students, but the employers as well. The general point of a career fair is for students to learn about companies and employers to learn more about those who are interested in their work.
Rather than having to worry about perfectly impressing a recruiter with one’s padded resume and rehearsed elevator pitch, a more informative process would make the Career Fair casual and stress-free. Networking is crucial, but it doesn’t have to be so formal.
Even if they were not able to formally recruit, including a more diverse array of employers in the Career Fair would also allow students to dip their toes into areas of potential interest without the need for a perfectly polished elevator pitch.
