Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Dana Bekurs: This podcast is produced by members of the University of Alabama Parent Advisory Council and reflects the personal views, experiences, and opinions of the hosts and guests. These views are independent and do not represent, reflect, or speak on behalf of the University of Alabama, its administration, faculty, staff, or affiliated organizations. The content shared is for general informational and conversational purposes only. It is not intended to provide academic, medical, legal, financial, or institutional advice. While we aim to share thoughtful and helpful perspectives, we make no guarantees regarding accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Listeners are encouraged to verify information independently and rely on official University of Alabama communications for policies, decisions, and guidance. Listening to this podcast is voluntary and any actions taken based on the content are done at your own discretion and risk.
Welcome to Parent Perspectives. Navigating the University of Alabama experience as a parent can be exciting, overwhelming, and full of questions. And you don't have to do it alone. Parent Perspectives is a podcast by parents, for parents and with parents, created to share real conversations, trusted insights, and firsthand experiences from those who've been there. Whether your student is Bama bound, settling into freshman year, or finding their stride on campus, this is your go to source for all things Bama student related. From academics in campus life, to traditions and the moments that matter most, we cover what parents want to know honestly and thoughtfully. Tune in and feel confident knowing you're part of a supportive Bama parent community.
[00:01:52] Bryan Johnson: Welcome to the UA Parent Perspective Podcast. When many people hear the words career fair, they immediately picture seniors searching for their first full time job.
But today's career fairs are so much more than that. Whether a student is looking for an internship, exploring career options, practicing networking, or simply learning about employers, career fairs provide valuable opportunities throughout a student's entire college experience.
Today we're talking about why every student, not just graduating seniors, should take advantage of career fairs and employer events, how to prepare, and how parents can encourage their students to make the most of these opportunities.
Before we dive into that conversation, let's meet our guest. Julie, could you introduce yourself and tell tell us about your role at the University of Alabama and how you help students connect with employers and career opportunities.
[00:02:44] Julie Abernathy: Thank you so much for having me. I'm Julie Abernathy. I'm the Assistant Director of Career Programming within the Career center and I'm housed in the main office.
[00:02:56] Bryan Johnson: Okay. All right. Well, thank you. When people. Let's start with the basics. When people hear the term career fair, what should they actually picture? What typically happens during a career fair? And what different types of career fairs and employer visits and networking events can students expect throughout the academic Year we
[00:03:14] Julie Abernathy: have career fairs quite often we have one in September and another in February.
Those are our big events where we have lots of employers coming to campus. Those career fairs are held in the Coleman Coliseum. There could be 150 to maybe 200 employers set up in booths where students can go and talk with them. They can have their resume ready. Those are our biggest events and more formal events. The professional dress is required for that large career fair.
Recruiters tell us that they remember students who come each semester even if they're not looking for a job and they're not ready for that internship yet. They really like to see freshmen come in just to introduce themselves and kind of start going over with what their career interests are.
The recruiters remember them so when they do have that internship later on that they're qualified for, then those students already have that kind of that inside connection. We also have smaller events that we call mixers.
Sometimes those are attached with a panel and sometimes they're just a networking opportunity. Typically those will have maybe seven to 10 employers there that students can connect with and ask questions and introduce themselves.
So the mixers and the career fairs are the two main recruiting events. We have lots of smaller events as well, but those. The career fair is typically what most people think about when they think about recruiting.
[00:05:00] Bryan Johnson: Okay, thank you.
You've kind of answered my next question a little bit. But there's a way we can expand a little bit. One of the biggest misconceptions, and you've kind of addressed that, is that career fairs are only for seniors. Why is it valuable for all students to start ATT career fairs early, even if they're not looking for internships or full time positions? And how can freshmen and sophomores benefit other than what you just explained?
[00:05:24] Julie Abernathy: Right. So freshmen and sophomore one that can get their feet wet and just learn how to introduce themselves professionally. Sophomores can start looking for those internships. And lots of employers are recruiting for internships at our career fairs. So the career fairs are not just for post graduation jobs. Career fairs also will have employers who need students to come intern with their organization.
Freshmen, it's great for them to go to learn what that looks like when they're not as stressed or it's not as much of an emergency need. That way when they do have that emergency need, they're already comfortable and they know what to say and how to say it. And when they've learned the nuances of when do they hand over the resume? How do they kind of get in front of the employer when there's a lot of employees of other students who are waiting their turn to see an employer.
So there's a lot of strategies, even like what shoes to wear, you know, making sure that you're comfortable, but you also look professional. There's a lot of small nuanced skills that freshmen can pick up very quickly before it really matters. And before that, that impression is a bit more nerve wracking. And like I said previously, the employers tell us that they remember those freshmen who come just to introduce themselves and say, I'm not looking for an internship yet, but I'll be back next semester when I'm ready for that.
So getting their name recognition out there is a great advantage that a freshman have. You only have that advantage once as a freshman to go up to an employer, shake their hand and say, hey, I'm a freshman. I don't really need anything right now. I just really like your company and I really like what you do.
Take advantage of being young and being new at this sort of job search internship.
[00:07:19] Bryan Johnson: So even though it's not a formal interview, they should approach it professionally as if they're trying to make that kind of impression. That's great. Thank you. Okay.
What can students gain from attending a career fair even if they don't receive an interview or job offer?
[00:07:38] Julie Abernathy: The networking is a big part of it. A lot of people don't know how to introduce themselves professionally. We talk a lot in our office about professional identity and trying to get that elevator pitch, trying to succinctly introduce themselves as a professional and learning what that conversation looks like.
It's very different. You don't get to talk with your family or your friends about who you are as a professional. So finding someone who does the thing that considering doing and getting to ask them questions is a big part of the advantage of going to a career fair when you're not necessarily looking for a job.
Also, the recruiters may give their name or their contact information at a career fair that will come in handy later. I'm not allowed to give out a recruiter's name or contact information, just like I'm not allowed to give out a student name or contact information.
So we do have students who will come back and say, oh, I forgot to talk with ex employer. This such and such employer.
Do you have the recruiter's name? I forgot to get it and I have to say I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to give that contact information out. But if the student has gotten it themselves, they're able to contact that recruiter directly. To ask for more conversation or more interview tips or something like that. So that just getting the contact information can be one strategy of going to the career fairs.
[00:09:15] Bryan Johnson: How did these events help students build confidence and better understand what employers are looking for?
[00:09:22] Julie Abernathy: Sure. It's like any kind of skill, you know, the more you practice it, the better you're going to get at it.
The first time I remember introducing myself as a professional, it just felt very awkward. I didn't really know how to say, you know, who I am and what I'm looking for.
You can also learn how to become a little bit more assertive and learn, you know, how to speak up for yourself.
And, you know, just learning that that skill early on, you're going to just get better at it. It's going to feel more comfortable and how to talk about yourself and your strengths, the skills that you would bring to that employer that they're looking for, how to meet the needs of that employer. They're looking for a certain set of skills. You have a certain set of skills. So really we're just trying to learn how to meet each other's needs and it just takes practice. So doing those conversations repeatedly and as you even gain more skills in your tool belt that you can add on to the conversation the next time you meet with an employer your sophomore or junior year.
[00:10:35] Bryan Johnson: Well, we know that if you're interviewing for a job, you've got to do a lot of preparation for that interview. How should students prepare before attending a career fair? Do they need to research employers? What should they expect when they approach a recruiter for the first time?
[00:10:52] Julie Abernathy: We get great feedback from our employers. We at the end of the career fair, we always send them a survey to find out what kind of experiences they had with students, what students did well, maybe some things, some habits or some things that they saw that students maybe shouldn't do next time.
And one of those things is they prefer that students do the research on their company. So rather than walking up to say, I don't know, Mercedes, and saying, what do you do?
They want you to have already researched the company and the roles before you walk up to them. It's going to make the student look more informed and more educated. You should do that before you apply to a job also. And so you treat this career fair a bit with the same sort of preparation.
So before you walking up to an employer, looking up their information, we have an app that is fantastic. It's called Career Fair plus that we encourage students to use.
It tells every employer has a bio about Them it has where they're located within the building, which table number they're going to be at, and the positions they're hiring for. And so we've done a lot of research on the front end for the students, but they need to do their own research to find out what that organization does and a little bit about the job postings or the internship postings that they have currently.
[00:12:22] Bryan Johnson: Okay, great. Thank you. Well, if you are like I was as an undergraduate and painfully shy, what's some advice you can give students to help them start conversations naturally without feeling awkward?
[00:12:35] Julie Abernathy: We have so many prep sessions for the career fairs.
There's multiple sessions that they can attend. They can attend one. They're all the same, but we offer them at different times, different crash courses.
We also have on our website, it's Career UA Edu.
There are a lot of different tabs and dropdowns that students can look through that we'll talk about elevator pitch and how to create that. We have some example elevator pitches that they can use just as a kind of a guide on how the conversation should go.
We also meet with students one on one.
They can make an appointment through the Handshake app, or they can call the front office and we can guide them through making an appointment, but make an appointment for practicing that elevator pitch.
The speaking studio is another great resource on campus who we partner with.
Typically, we will offer some elevator pitch sessions in partnership with the speaking studio, where we can have students, you know, bounce ideas off each other and practice saying, you know, their introductions, learning how to shake hands, and learning when to pass over that resume or that contact information.
So reaching out to us and asking for help is the best way. We're in lots of classes also, and so if there's a class that they're in and they want, you know, their instructor to invite us to their class, we do class presentations as well.
[00:14:11] Bryan Johnson: Okay, what are some of the biggest concerns and or misconceptions that keep students from attending career fairs?
[00:14:18] Julie Abernathy: I hear a lot of students say that the two.
Typically we have two days of career fair.
One is called the technical and engineering fair. That's where our technical employers will come who are hiring for those tech positions. And then another day is the general interest and business fair.
And I think the biggest misconception is those are for engineering and business.
People forget that general interest means all majors technical. They forget that it means any of your math or even your science fields, even your psychology fields. And so I think the misconception is that the fair doesn't have employers related to their career interest, but they haven't really gone in and looked at the employers and what they're hiring for.
It is not uncommon for us to have around 100 employers who are hiring for all majors. And so there are a lot of employers who are coming that aren't really concerned about the major. They're looking for the skill set and not necessarily the degree program that you came from. They want those critical thinking skills. They want that work ethic. They want that ability to work in a team.
They want someone who is going to show up and do the job and not have to be micromanaged. We don't want to be micromanaged. Our employers are looking for people who don't need to be micromanaged. So if you can introduce yourself and show that you're taking the initiative, then that is going to be one step ahead of some of the other applicants who aren't doing those things. So career fair is another way to kind of stand out against the other applicants.
[00:16:04] Bryan Johnson: Okay, so you might have, for instance, an engineering firm, but you may be a communication or English major, and there may still be a benefit to dealing with those.
[00:16:11] Julie Abernathy: Okay, absolutely. And they should, in the app, have selected which degrees or which colleges they're recruiting specifically for. And so, for example, we may have an engineering firm on Tech day that is only looking for civil. That's the civil engineers. Maybe that's the only position they have currently available.
But they may have something else down the road that they aren't able to disclose, or the position hasn't opened yet that is outside of those positions. So taking a look at the employers who have multiple degree interests in backgrounds and talking with them can be extremely helpful.
[00:16:57] Bryan Johnson: Okay, thank you. Well, let's talk about parents for a little bit, because we know they play an important role in encouraging career exploration. How can they encourage their student to attend career fairs, employer visits, and networking events without adding pressure or taking over the process?
[00:17:14] Julie Abernathy: Right, the not taking over the process, I know can be difficult. And not being the helicopter parent or as I was informed, the lawnmower parent, where you kind of clear the way and make everything super easy and super smooth.
Just trying to be an advisor and offer those advice, you know, those. Those words of wisdom, or helping them maybe with strategy, reminding them that the date is coming up, taking care of any, you know, troubleshooting obstacles with them, making sure that they know about the career closet so they, you know, their professional dress is expected. But we have a crimson career closet where students can borrow professional clothing from Us.
So some of the barriers that might be in place or the things that might be keeping a student from thinking that it is for them, having the parents aware of those additional resources and encouraging their student to take advantage of coming to see us and using the Crimson Current closet as a way to get those professional clothes I think is the best thing. But just reminding them that they have support, there are resources.
The Career fair is for them.
It's not for other students, it's not for anyone else. It is for every single student. So having the parents remind them their student of that I think is the best thing they can do. You can't make them go,
[00:18:49] Bryan Johnson: well, you've mentioned this a bit, but if you could maybe expand a little bit.
Where students and families can find all the information they need about upcoming career fairs, employer visits, workshops and other career related events throughout the year,
[00:19:06] Julie Abernathy: we have a ton of great ways to find out where everybody's going to be. It's very difficult in our office to even for me to keep up with where employers are going to be. Whether it's a big event or a small event.
There's the way that parents can kind of keep an eye on is just through our events page. So that would be Career UA Edu and we have multiple options across the top and one of them is our events calendar.
So most of those are going to be events that we are hosting at the career fair. So we have workshops, crash courses to do, prep sessions for the career fair and the actual fairs.
So those will be on our calendar of events.
Students have access to an app called Handshake and those events are national events. And so let's say I'll take Mercedes again as an example.
If Mercedes is hosting a national event, they can post it there.
They also will post where they're going to be on campus. If they're doing a specific recruiting, maybe out on the plaza or something like that, then that's where they can find out where those smaller events are going to be. I do also want to give a shout out because we don't have just the September and the February big career fairs which are hosted in the Coleman Coliseum. We also have the Education Interview Day which is a career fair for our students who are seeking to go into teaching. So it does not have to be just education major. We have math and history and science students who are majoring in those subject areas who decide they want to go into teaching. So the Education Interview day is open to all majors who are considering teaching as well.
And then we also have a nursing fair each semester for those who are interested in specifically nursing, but also other health related fields.
And then like I said, a couple of smaller missions, a couple of smaller mixers that we have as well.
[00:21:16] Bryan Johnson: Okay. Okay. Well, as we wrap up, we always want to leave our listeners with a final takeaway. If you could leave every University of Alabama student with one piece of advice about attending career fairs, what would that be?
[00:21:31] Julie Abernathy: Go and go with a friend and have a good time. Go with some curiosity. Go to explore maybe a company that you've not heard of before.
I tell almost every student if there's a company that you've heard of that you're curious about, but maybe it's not top of your list, go to that one first.
When you're not quite as anxious or nervous about talking to the one that you really want to work for.
Go and practice and go with an open mind. We've had lots of of students who have landed internships with companies that they had not considered before just because they went and talked to them and found out they had a lot to offer and it ended up being a great experience for them. So go with the open mind and curiosity.
[00:22:22] Bryan Johnson: All right. Well, thank you, Julie, for helping us better understand why career fairs are about so much more than finding a job. They're about building confidence, making connections, exploring possibilities, and preparing for the future. And to our listeners, remember that every conversation your student has with an employee lawyer is an opportunity to learn something new about themselves in the professional world.
So encourage them to show up, ask questions, and start building relationships early. Those experiences often open doors long before graduation.
Thanks for joining us for another episode of the UA Parent Perspective Podcast and Roll Tide.
[00:23:00] Dana Bekurs: Thanks for tuning in today for the latest episode of Parent Perspective Perspectives, brought to you by the University of Alabama Parent Advisory Council. Check out all our podcasts on Voices UA Edu. You can learn more about the Parent Advisory Council, Parent Perspectives and UA Parent and Family Programs on the UA Parent and Family Programs website at Parents SL UA Edu.
