There were many opportunities for students to get a head start on their careers and prepare them to hit the job market at the Job and Internship Fair at California State University Monterey Bay on Sept. 28.
About 100 individuals attended the event at the University Center Auditorium.
Many of the businesses tabeling at the event had different ideas of what they were looking for in an applicant and why they were doing it.
“Ultimately, to expand our services and share with the students what we do and hopefully interest those in this field to apply and further their education,” said Amanda Carter, a board’s certified behavioral analyst for the Behavioral Intervention Association. “We’re looking for somebody bubbly, exciting, playful, friendly and just genuine,”
The different stands had many occasions where students would be able to get comfortable and confident in the field they may want to go into.
“Many of the applicants that apply here are psychology majors, so I feel like they relate to what we do,” said Mary Mercado, who works for human resources at Tucci Learning Solutions, which provide education services.
Various CSUMB students felt connected with this program and what it stands for because of the different strategies it holds.
“I guess I just want to find out what I want to pursue, and I think with my major, it’s cultivated so that I can do a lot with it, but I just want to narrow it down, “ said fourth-year psychology major Anthony Chun.
“First off, I would like to get a job from here. I mean, I think that’s like step one,” said fourth-year Sophia Defrabizio. “It would be great to network while I’m here. Even if there are places I won’t get a job at, as long as I have those connections, I feel like that’s valuable in the job market.”
Students also had the opportunity to explore jobs outside of what they want to do to gain experience in various skills.
“I think the most desired outcome is just this networking and connecting with folks, whether it be something they’re interested in today or tomorrow, down the line,” said Mary Kelley Crnich, the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau’s administrative specialist. “Maybe it’s not even something of interest to them; perhaps their friend who they know might be a good candidate,”
There were not only available options for students to network but also for the companies and businesses presenting their booths because it helped them communicate with individuals at the university to find potential candidates.
There were also available community service hours for students with this booth and the Service Learning one, which gave opportunities to work at places like after-school programs, such as The Village Project, a Seaside nonprofit that aims to meet the needs of the under-served African American Community, or the SPCA for Monterey County in Salinas.
“We are an excellent organization for students to do their community service hours, so we’re always looking for volunteers,” said Monterey County SPCA’s Vice President of Human Resources and Volunteers Gina Galuppo. “We want people who are committed to animals and who can show up on time. And the dogs and cats need to be fed and changed.”
The many open doors this event presented were what many students enjoyed seeing to obtain the lessons they may need in the future.
Finding potential jobs and internships for their pathways was a huge stepping stone for some students at the Job and Internship Fair because it hopefully helped prepare them for what to expect after graduation.
