Editor’s Note: Ryley Fallon is a Student Media employee.
As we make it through the spring semester, career fairs are popping up around campus. Some career fairs look a lot different than others, leading students from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS) to question how the college is being represented.
Kelly Laraway, director of employer relations at the Career Development Center, said the career fairs are organized with students and employers in mind.
“I focus on the relationship between employers and the students on [NC State’s] campus,” Laraway said. “Career fairs are set up typically in Talley’s ballroom with tables of employers. These employers set up displays to attract students, and the majority of these employers are looking for interns.”
Ryley Fallon, a third-year studying English and interdisciplinary studies and editor-in-chief of Windhover, said the College of Humanities and Social Sciences career fair didn’t feel very organized.
“I struggled a little bit because it seemed like a bunch of different off-the-wall places,” Fallon said. “Several were management departments, but there were not a lot of internships which I felt very disconnected from.”
Laraway said the CHASS Career Fair has many elements because there are a variety of majors within the college. Laraway said employers aren’t chosen by the University, but rather pay to participate.
“This is the first career fair since COVID which made it challenging,” Laraway said. “State charges the employers to attend the career fair, and the employer decides to participate.”
Fallon said she feels like there is an underrepresentation of CHASS compared to other departments.
“The vibe in general felt very chaotic, and I really have no idea what I am going to do long-term after college,” Fallon said. “I think there is a way of valuing every department, even if it is not your main focus. Specifically to the career fair, I felt like there could have been better companies represented.”
Laraway also said planning a CHASS career fair is a challenge due to the college’s size.
“Definitely the turnout on both sides is less compared to the engineering career fair,” Laraway said. “This is also a challenge with recruiting employers to fairs as well because we don’t know how many students will show up.”
To help the representation of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Fallon said she believes students need to foster more of a humanities attitude. Fallon also said she feels the career fair showed an attitude of what humanities students can do now but not in the future.
“For other career fairs, it seems more clear of the steps needed to be taken for a long-term job. For [CHASS], it doesn’t,” Fallon said. “I don’t think the career fair was awful, but it did contribute to the misconception that there is no longevity and security for a career in humanities.”
Fallon said she wants to see more organization with the fair.
Laraway said she encourages students to not depend on one career fair as their only opportunity for finding jobs. She recommends using ePACK, a job-search website through NC State, as another great way for students to find job opportunities which better represents all the colleges.
“A career fair is just one event,” Laraway said. “Don’t be discouraged by one career fair. It can help you learn more about yourself. I will recommend looking at ePACK to see all the jobs that show more representation than a career fair. This [ePack] is a resource we want students to use, and we, as well as students, review all the jobs listed to make sure they’re representing our colleges and degrees”
Laraway said she also encourages students to go to all career fairs to find opportunities within or outside your college department to get exposure to more employers and positions.
