Career Center Helps Students Dress for Success in Advance of Career Fair

With less than one week until the Spring Career Fair, students are polishing their resumes and dressing for success with the help of the Career Development Center. More than 160 employers, from a variety of industries, are anticipated to attend the fair, scheduled for Thursday, February 14, from 10 a.m to 1 p.m., in the SJU Athletics Center.

The Career Development Center focuses on helping students at every stage of their career journey by offering a multitude of services at their office located behind the Maguire Wolfington Welcome Center, especially leading up to the Career Fair.

“As the Career Fair nears, we definitely see more job postings to employers, an uptick in appointments, and students really take advantage of the Career Closet Pop-Up Shops,” says Danielle Fichter, recruiting, events and employer engagement specialist.

First offered in Fall of 2017, the pop-up shops have grown in popularity with each semester. In total, 119 students have been given 314 items, all free of charge.

“We’ve always seen a need to educate students about how to dress professionally, especially for events like the Career Fair and interviews,” explains Fichter, “This is something that a lot of other universities do to serve a diverse population of students that have needs for things like this, so we saw an opportunity.”

Students are able to browse the selection of men’s and women’s clothing, choosing from 2-3 items to keep or donate back to the shop for another student’s future use.

Fichtner says the center is always looking for new donations from faculty and staff, especially before a big event such as the Career Fair. The Career Closet Pop-Up Shops are currently in need of women’s dress pants and blazers.

“A lot of faculty and staff have donated, which has been great, and if they want to continue to donate they can always drop items off at the front desk of the Career Development Center,” says Fichter.

Visit the University Events Calendar for a full list of Career Fair activities like resume reviews and pop-up shops.

Trish Shafer, executive director of the center, reminds students that upperclassmen are not the only ones who can capitalize on Career Fair offerings. Students from all class years are encouraged to attend and get a jump start on navigating the highly-anticipated event.

“For students unsure of what they want to do — freshmen and sophomores, especially — the Career Fair can be a great way to explore opportunities and make an impression on employers for potential future hiring,” says Shafer. “With a strong showing of non-profit, government and corporate organizations, there is opportunity for students and alumni at all levels to advance their job search.”