MTSU students, alumni turn out for 2013 Fall Career Fair

Hundreds of sharply dressed MTSU students and alumni navigated their way around the track level of Murphy Center on Wednesday visiting the dozens of employers who had set up interview and information booths for the annual Fall Career Fair.

Clare Tucker, legislative audit manager for the Tennessee Division of State Audit, left, speaks with MTSU senior Timothy Williams during the 2013 Fall Career Fair held Wednesday, Oct. 9, on the track level of Murphy Center. (MTSU photos by Andy Heidt)

Hosted by the MTSU Career Development Center, Wednesday’s fair was reserved for MTSU students and alumni looking for jobs, internships and graduate study opportunities. It’s the university’s largest on-campus fair of the year, and more than 100 employers and several hundred students attended.

“It’s a great opportunity for students to network, primarily with employers, but we also have some graduate programs and professional schools here too,” said Dusty Doddridge, assistant director of the Career Development Center. “It’s a great opportunity for students to find out what skills and what expertise employers are needing. They can find out about internships they have available and what long-term career paths they might have available.

“Also of course, we do have employers that are hiring immediately. It’s a great way to make a lot of connections for our students in a short amount of time.”

Dressed in suit and tie and with resumes in hand, senior computer information systems major Timothy Williams of Manchester, Tenn., was on the hunt for an internship or job offer.

“It’s been very beneficial to me,” said Williams an hour into the fair. “Just walking around, I’ve had a lot of companies to reach out and say, ‘Are you looking for IT positions?’ or ‘Are you looking for programming positions?’ My pamphlet is filling up with cards.

“I’m looking for any kind of opportunity that will push me toward a career.”

Erica Saulsberry, left, with the MTSU Career Development Center helps senior Juan Zelaya sign in to the 2013 Fall Career Fair.

MTSU alumna Katherine Hailey returned to campus Wednesday as a recruiter for Bankers Life and Casualty Company. The Chicago-based company, which has offices throughout the country, was interviewing for its summer internship program as well as full-time positions for a variety of skill and educational levels, from GED to Ph.D., she said.

Hailey was impressed with the job candidates who visited her booth.

“Their presentation has been really good,” said the 2012 graduate in liberal arts. “Some of them have done their research, which is impressive, because our company doesn’t do a lot of advertising. We believe the best advertisement is word-of-mouth.”

Students who missed Wednesday’s recruiting fair will have other opportunities in the coming months. The Career Development Center is holding an Information Technology-themed fair later this fall on campus for information science and computer systems students, Doddridge said. Then in February, the Nashville Area College to Career Fair will be held in Williamson County at the Ag Expo Center, with 150 to 200 employers expected to attend.

Ingram Content Group and EFC Systems sponsored Wednesday’s Fall Career Fair.

MTSU’s Career Development Center is a comprehensive center that serves all students in each of the university’s eight colleges. For more information about the center, call 615-898-2500 or visit http://www.mtsu.edu/career.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)