by Alyssa Speicher, Public Relations Writer
On February 15, Cedarville University hosted its largest spring career fair in school history, attracting 102 employers and 553 students. Some companies who attended the fair have already offered jobs to Cedarville students.
By mid-April, eleven students had received offers with Northrup Grumman, five with the English Language Institute of China, three with Cummins Inc., three with Innotec, and six with JP Morgan Chase. But these reports are only the beginning.
Director of career services Jeff Reep recognizes that it is difficult to measure how many students receive job offers directly because of the career fair. However, he noted that it is easy to see that employers like Cedarville graduates based on who continues to recruit at the fairs.
“Every company is concerned with its return on investment,” explained Reep. “So the fact that reputable companies continue to come to Cedarville shows the caliber of our students—their talent, their training and their character.”
Cedarville offers seven career fairs annually, including one every fall and spring. This year, the five fairs that took attendance boasted a combined number of 1,350 present students. Career services, professors, resident directors and administration all work together to encourage students to register and attend career fairs.
Outside of career fairs, Cedarville’s career services department offers many tools to help students find a job. Jobs4Jackets is an online program that allows employers to post listings and students to upload their resumes. Career Services also provides workshops for interviews, resumes, LinkedIn profiles and more, and it brings companies to campus outside of career fairs.
Professors realize the importance of career-seeking skills for their students. As a result, 77 percent of students will see career services as a part of their curriculum sometime in their Cedarville career.
“Students are making a huge investment to go to school at Cedarville, so they should learn interview, career fair, resume and networking skills,” said Reep. “If they don’t, they’re doing themselves a disservice.”
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,760 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.