Each semester, students face the challenge of pursuing an internship or finding a position when they graduate. The team at The Ohio State University’s Buckeye Careers office works to alleviate the stress that comes with looking for the next step in a student’s professional journey.
Buckeye Careers, in the Office of Student Life, offers a variety of support and resources to students, including connecting them to employers through job fairs or through tools like Handshake, a job posting website that matches students with part-time jobs, internships, co-ops and full-time career opportunities.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) works with Buckeye Careers each semester to inform students of what skills employers will expect from them, said Jennifer Chilman, assistant director of Buckeye Careers.
“We really try to be the ear and the voice for the students and what they’re looking for from the employers,” she said.
One change that was added last year was resume reviews, a service offering additional feedback to students.
“We had a couple of employers who were participating in the career fair, available for students to meet ahead of time to have their resume reviewed,” she said. “Students love to hear from the employers because they’re the ones that are going to be doing the recruiting and offering the jobs.”
Chilman said Buckeye Careers added a Ready Room at the career fair in 2023. The room helps students make sure they are prepared to talk to employers at the job fair.
“We have some of the basic needs like mirrors and lint rollers and breath mints and pens. If they want to run through their introductory speech … we have career coaches there that can talk to them.”
Chilman said there is a misconception that only upperclassmen need to attend career fairs.
“Students sometimes miss the idea of the learning aspect of the career fair. I always encourage students to go before they need to go, just to kind of experience it a little bit first before you’re in a high-pressure setting,” she said.
Gideon Alabi, a third-year accounting major, said the job fair helped him during his second year to prepare for looking into companies that would be a good fit for him after he graduates.
“It helped to build connections with professionals and get a feel for the companies I was interested in,” he said.
Buckeye Careers also offers walking tours of the career fair before it takes place. Chilman said it gives students a chance to see how the fair flows, where to go and what the expectations are ahead of time.
She noticed those who put in the research on the employers at the fair benefited from it.
“Look at Handshake and look at the employers that will be there ahead of time, so you can kind of get a strategy together for, here’s my top five,” Chilman said. “Especially if you’re on limited time, and you must pick and choose, do that research ahead of time.”
Chilman said the services Buckeye Careers provides are important for students – even if it sounds stressful.
“It is a learning experience, it’s always going to be a little nerve-wracking, and we understand that, but it’s also exciting.”