September 18, 2006

Agriculture college to host career fair Oct. 3-4

by K.C. Jaehnig

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Representatives from at least 14 companies and government agencies will visit the Southern Illinois University Carbondale College of Agricultural Sciences Oct. 3-4 looking to recruit students for such jobs as park ranger, environmental protection specialist, statistician, field nutrition manager and high school agriculture teacher.

"Our numbers (of recruiters) are up, and we're slightly more diverse (than last year's career fair) with more in animal science, forestry and natural resources," said Lucas D. Maxwell, the college's recruitment and retention coordinator.

The event will follow the format used the previous year.

"It worked wonderfully," Maxwell said. "We got very positive comments from the companies that were here."

This year's career fair begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3, with a "meet and greet" reception in Room 209 of the Agriculture Building. Students attending should wear business casual clothes.

The fair itself will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. the following day at tables and booths throughout the hallways of the Agriculture Building. Those attending should dress professionally and bring several copies of their résumés.

Students who came to last year's fair will still have résumés on file with the University's Career Services Office and can update their materials online. Students new to the fair must sign up for free, interactive memberships with Career Services in Room B-204 of Woody Hall before the event takes place. This will admit them to all on-campus job fairs, let them create credentials files, have their résumés reviewed and uploaded, and apply electronically for open positions. For more information, visit the Career Services Web site at www.siu.edu/%7eucs.

Maxwell also can review résumés for agriculture students, although students will still need to register with Career Services before they can attend the fair. For more information, call him at 618/453-3080 or 618/201-8876 or e-mail him at lmaxwell@siu.edu.

Providing career-planning services to students is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint the University is following as it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2019.