Although the spring semester is only five weeks old at University of Wisconsin-Stout, summer is on the minds of soon-to-be graduates and students seeking a co-op or internship.
Their summer plans could come together during the Spring Career Conference scheduled Monday, Feb. 28, through Friday, March 4, with more than 340 employers from across the nation looking to fill positions.
“We have been meeting with companies daily,” said Career Services Director Bryan Barts. “Employers are eager to connect with students and increasing efforts to do so.”
The conference will include six in-person career fairs focused on specific areas. The events, open to students and alumni, are from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily on the upper level of the Memorial Student Center:
- Feb. 28: Hospitality and tourism; along with education, wellness and social sciences
- March 1: Engineering, manufacturing and packaging
- March 2: Construction
- March 3: Business, marketing, management, print and design; along with computing, science and technology
Capacities will be limited to follow Dunn County and campus safety guidelines. Face masks are required.
Following the in-person events, a virtual career fair open to all majors will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 4 to help accommodate employers and students limited by the pandemic.
UW-Stout has a longstanding record of at least 97% of graduates finding employment within one year, many hired before graduation. Also, more than 1,000 students a year take part in the Cooperative Education and Internship Program. All UW-Stout academic programs have an experiential learning component.
“We are seeing an increasing focus from employers who are planning for summer positions and trying to secure internship, co-op and professional talent early,” Barts said.
Approximately 2,000 students are expected to attend the in-person and virtual events.
In the next Inside Stout podcast, CEIP coordinator Bethany Henthorn and student Nilu Umarova discuss the resources and support provided year-round by Career Services and the value of attending the career conference.
Umarova, a senior from Vahdat, Tajikistan, majoring in hotel, restaurant and tourism management, has had three co-ops and is UW-Stout’s nominee for the national Outstanding Student Co-Op of the Year by the Cooperative Education and Internship Association.
She credits volunteering at every career conference over four years with helping her meet more employers and build a professional network. “The biggest thing students can do is network,” said Umarova, whose favorite online platform is LinkedIn.
Career Conference Prep Week
To help students prepare, Career Services is hosting Career Conference Prep Week through Friday, Feb. 25, with resume reviews, mock interviews and more.
On Feb. 25 students can take part in the free Look Good, Feel Good, Do Good program from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Merle M. Price Commons, which will include career presentations, professional portraits, haircuts by appointment from ClipDart, free professional clothing from the campus Helping Hand Food+ Pantry, fashion advice from Maurice’s and Shoe Sensation, beverages, snacks and prizes.
“The week before career conference is equally important as the conference,” Henthorn said. “You need to put your best professional self forward. We want to make sure you’re ready.”
The Spring Career Conference kicks off a busy recruitment season. Upcoming events include an Art and Design Week targeting students in UW-Stout’s School of Art and Design, the Wisconsin Education Recruitment Fair focused on students in UW-Stout’s School of Education, the UW System Career Treks program and more than 100 career and professional events with employers through Handshake.
Handshake, UW-Stout’s primary recruitment and career event management tool, is an online college-to-career platform that gives students access to more than 725,000 employers, thousands of positions and hundreds of networking and education events. It is used by more than 1,200 universities nationwide.
UW-Stout also holds a Fall Career Conference.
###
