Connecting students with potential employers

With numerous graduates crossing the stage this May, many had already thinking heavily about their next step – some to graduate school and many directly into the workforce.

In order to help them bridge from student to employee (or grad student), the Career Services Center at SUNY Poly once again gathered more than 100 employers and graduate schools under one roof to explore the opportunities that can await.

“My goal for students and alumni is to provide direct access to employers offering full-time, part-time, and internship opportunities,” said Sim Covington, DIrector of Career Services for SUNY Poly and organizer of the event.

Job seekers ranging from students to alums, and even the general public gathered in the gym of the SUNY Poly Campus Center in Utica for the 2017 Career and Graduate School Fair on March 28.

A myriad of employers were on hand, from accounting to healthcare, manufacturing to engineering, all giving students the opportunity to not only show off their analytic skills and academic prowess, but also the chance to use their honed abilities of interpersonal communication, social graces, leadership, and dress code. Those “soft skills” are something that Covington explains are crucial when it comes to interviewing and making it in the job market.

For those whose next leg of their journey may not be the workforce, there was numerous opportunities at the fair to explore the possibility of further education.

While employers were given the chance to meet with people interested in becoming a part of their team, it also provided job seekers to find the best suitable places to apply their skills, including numerous SUNY Poly students like Patrick Slaga, a business administration major who graduated in May.

“I’m looking for an entry level position, preferably in finance or marketing,” Slaga said. “I really want to talk to BNY Mellon while they’re here.”

One of the most convenient aspects of the Career and Graduate School Fair, Slaga explained, is having such a large number of potential employers in one place, saving both time and energy in his job search.

“I think it’s a little easier to have this all here, under one roof for you,” Slaga said. “I don’t have to put all the miles on my car and hunt down each individual company to talk to them.”

Like Slaga, fellow student Eric Armitage was also on the hunt.

“I’m an accounting major graduating in May and I’m just looking for something to get my foot in the door when it comes to accounting – an internship or an entry-level position,” Armitage said. “It seems like there’s a lot of opportunities here.”