Resume in hand, as well as feeling a little nervous, MTSU senior Brandon Miller of Clarksville, Tennessee, joined hundreds of his classmates and hundreds more MTSU alumni making the rounds of the Murphy Center track Oct. 27 to talk with the dozens of employers on hand for the annual Fall Career Fair.

MTSU senior Joshua Young, right, speaks with a Tractor Supply Co. recruiter Thursday, Oct. 27, during the 2016 Fall Career Fair at Murphy Center. (MTSU photo by Eric Sutton)

“I’m coming up into my senior year, so I really want to see what’s out there,” said Miller, a Jones College of Business finance major scheduled to graduate in August.

“I’m hoping for a couple of job opportunities, but I will look for internships as well.”

Dusty Doddridge

Hosted by the Career Development Center of Middle Tennessee State University, the fair was free and open to all MTSU students and alumni.

This year’s fair drew almost 170 employers, a 20 percent increase from last year, as well as a number of graduate/professional schools.

“The Midstate is obviously booming and a lot of people are hiring,” said Dusty Doddridge, assistant director of the Career Development Center, who noted that the fair was the largest in several years.

“It’s a great opportunity to work on your resume, work on your elevator speech and work on your networking skills. It’s an event where everybody can come away with something.”

The Fall Career Fair is the only campuswide career fair of the academic year, so many students and alumni donned their best business attire to make the right impression with prospective employers, which ranged from airlines to financial services and from construction management to state and federal government.

Graduate student Hameeda Saleem, a computer information systems major and native of India, said she looked at the Career Development Center’s website before coming to the fair to review the list of employers and decide which ones she would target.

“I already applied to some positions through their websites, so I’m giving them a hard copy of my resume,” said Saleem, who was glad the career center provided attendees with a map of employer booths. “I didn’t expect it do be this huge.”

Participating employers were hiring for professional entry-level positions and/or career-related internships/co-ops. Corporate sponsors were Enterprise-Rent-A-Car, EFC Systems and Air Wisconsin.

The Career Development Center is a centralized comprehensive center that serves all students in each of MTSU’s nine colleges. Students may come to the center’s office in Room 328 of Keathley University Center for walk-in advising, resume critique and more. Scheduled appointments are also available with career advisors. Alumni services are outlined on the center’s website.

For more information about the Fall Career Fair or the Career Development Center, call 615-898-2500 or visit www.mtsu.edu/career.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)

MTSU students and alumni speak with prospective employers Thursday, Oct. 27, during the 2016 Fall Career Fair at Murphy Center. (MTSU photo by Eric Sutton)

MTSU senior Carl Randolph, right, speaks with a prospective employer Thursday, Oct. 27, during the 2016 Fall Career Fair at Murphy Center. (MTSU photo by Eric Sutton)

MTSU students, alumni invited to Oct. 27 Fall Career Fair

Oct. 21, 2016

The Career Development Center of Middle Tennessee State University will be hosting its annual Fall Career Fair from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, in the Murphy Center.

The fair is free and open to all MTSU students and alumni.

This year’s fair is the largest in nine years with more than 160 employers and graduate/professional schools attending. Employer participation is 20 percent above last year.

Bill Fletcher

“We are excited about the substantial increase in employers interested in recruiting at MTSU,” said Bill Fletcher, director of the Career Development Center.

Organizers estimated that several hundred students and alumni attended the 2015 Fall Career Fair. This year’s fair will be held Thursday, Oct. 27, on the track level at Murphy Center. (MTSU file photo by Andy Heidt)

Fletcher notes that the Fall Career Fair is the only campuswide career fair of the academic year, and students should dress professionally and take advantage of meeting employers.

A list of registered employers and graduate/professional schools can be found on the Career Center’s website at www.mtsu.edu/career. Detailed information about employers in attendance can be found by logging into Lightning CareerLink.

The fair hosts employers who are hiring for professional entry-level positions and/or career-related internships/co-ops, as well as graduate and professional schools recruiting for their academic programs. This year’s corporate sponsors are Enterprise-Rent-A-Car, EFC Systems and Air Wisconsin.

Off-campus visitors attending the career fair will find reserved parking in the Greenland Drive parking lot.

The Career Development Center is a centralized comprehensive center that serves all students in each of MTSU’s nine colleges.

Students may come to the center’s office in Room 328 of Keathley University Center for walk-in advising, resume critique and more. Scheduled appointments are also available with career advisors. Alumni services are outlined on the center’s website.

For more information about the Fall Career Fair or the Career Development Center, call 615-898-2500 or visit www.mtsu.edu/career.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)