Emily Cousins | Staff Writer
On Sept. 23, Career Day will be held virtually. Over 140 employers are coming to recruit Baylor students. Many of them are new options that have not attended career fairs at Baylor before.
Marketing Communications Coordinator Shelby Cefaratti-Bertin said the virtual model of Career Day will be more convenient for students’ schedules.
“We don’t have to limit students at all, and you’re not going to have to wait in line,” Cerfaratti-Bertin said. “Honestly, you only have to dress professionally from the waist up. If students are in class and they have a half an hour, they can take that half an hour and log in, go to a class and come back … I think it’ll be easier for them to get to meet with the employers that they want to talk to.”
Emily Dalak, an alumna and current career success professional at Baylor, said she wishes there had been a virtual Career Day while she was a student.
“You can actually have your notes out in front of you off on a separate screen and even copy and paste your questions into the chat,” Dalak said. “I mean, it’s a lot easier now I think, and you can sound even more professional. I think there’s a little bit less room in that area for mistakes. It allows you to appear even more professional than ever before.”
In the past, students have expressed they haven’t seen job opportunities for their field of study at career fairs, but Amy Rylander, assistant director for engagement, said they made it a point to bring in a diverse group of employers.
Even students who don’t yet know what they want to do after college can benefit from attending Career Day, Cefaratti-Bertin said.
“I would encourage any students that aren’t quite sure what they want to do, to go ahead and attend the Career Day,” Cefaratti-Bertin said. “Think about it as practice. That’s something that we’ve always encouraged our students. It’s for students that are looking for full time jobs, it’s for students that are looking for internships and it’s for students that are looking to figure out what they want to do.”
Rylander said networking at Career Day is pivotal. Even if there is not an ideal job available then, there may be one down the line.
Cefaratti-Bertin said recruiters at Career Day attend because they want to reach Baylor students specifically.
“These employers are here because they want Baylor students,” Cefaratti-Bertin said. “These employers are coming from all over the place, you know, for both Career Day and these events because they are looking for Baylor graduates, not just any old graduates. They want Baylor students.”
Nacogdoches senior and marketing assistant Caleigh Dalton said she has signed up for Career Day already, and it only took her around five minutes.
CareerEco was the platform chosen for Career Day because up to six recruiters can be talking to students at a time, Rylander said. It begins as a group chat, and then students will get passed to the recruiter that fits their field interest. At that point, a video chat can be requested if the recruiter is interested.
“The other benefit of this is once they do register in CareerEco, because they host so many other career fairs, students can get into any of the other career fairs that are open, free of charge. All they have to do is sign up for them,” Rylander said.
Cefaratti-Bertin said students must register before Sept. 23.
“You never know what will come out of Career Day just by showing up,” Cefaratti-Bertin said.
