SEMO Career Expos connect students with employers

Career expos at SEMO are open to all students, regardless of year or major, and allow them to explore career paths while developing their personal skills.

The expos allow students to interact with employers from many different companies to build connections and shape future careers without ever leaving campus.

Assistant vice president for economic and workforce development Dan Presson explained the companies attending the career expos vary, depending on their hiring needs.

“You’ll see there's different employers that come in the fall, that come in the spring..because it's all based around an employer's recruiting time,” Presson said. “Generally speaking, whenever you look at the attendance of employers, it's always where that employer need lies.”

Lack of variety in companies present may be an issue for some students, creating difficulty when connecting with employers.

Sophomore computer science major Andrew Foster says the shortage of companies related to his major discouraged him from finding the resources he needed.

“I was going to get an internship, and not very many booths had things specifically for my major,” Foster said.

While this may cause doubt for students whose interests don't directly align with the employers present, Presson explained the possibility for communication, networking and personal growth can be just as important as employment opportunities presented.

“Most students need practice introducing themselves, most students need the experience of being in this fair, most students need to get dressed up with a resume to come and talk,” Presson said. “Even if there might not be a lot of applicable employers to you, every student benefits from this experience because it allows you to grow as a professional.”

Career expos also offer an experience for students to engage in conversation without the pressure of a formal interview.

Presson emphasizes that students get a chance to communicate and interact with many different companies at once, creating a low-stakes environment.

“It's a really neat opportunity for people to just engage in that conversation multiple times over… it's neat to be able to do it in such a condensed format that the pressure is off,” Presson said.

However, students are not required to interact with any companies at these expos, and other aspects of the event can offer benefits to students as well.

Through observation, career expos provide students the opportunity to discover career paths and expand their knowledge of options for future careers.

“Even if you want to come just observe, if you're feeling super nervous or anxious about it, just come and look,” Presson said.

While getting job opportunities and internships may be the main goal for students when attending career expos, the skills developed and opportunities available from attending a career expo can be beneficial.

Senior forensic chemistry major Kennedy Lamb shared her experience with the FBI at a previous career expo, explaining this opened her eyes to new career opportunities.

“I didn't know that I could work for the FBI and would have never thought the FBI would be at SEMO,” Lamb said.

Presson highlights that even a short visit to a career expo could be enough to start exercising skills necessary for future employment.

“Even if you stay for 20 minutes, it's still a great practice,” Presson said.

The next career expo at SEMO will take place at the Show Me Center on Feb. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.