The Center for Internships and Career Development (CICD) at Eastern Connecticut State University, held a career week for current Eastern students from April 4-8. The week was designed to showcase the services and opportunities students receive from the CICD. During the week, students and faculty were invited to attend five different events to become educated in proper ways to approach the job search process and ways to prepare for the final event of the week, the Career and Internship Fair. Events were led and directed by CICD interns and faculty. Cliff Marrett, director of the CICD, worked hard to make this week a success.

Career Fair Boot Camp
The week began with “Career Fair Boot Camp,” which event offered a stress-free and comfortable environment while providing students with tools to succeed at the Career and Internship Fair held on April 7. Janice Patry, assistant director of the CICD, welcomed students and guest speakers Dave Richards, executive vice president of RMI, and Cristina Taylor, recruiter from Verizon Wireless. They discussed the do’s and don’ts of meeting and interacting with employers. They stressed making good first impressions and having good communication skills. “Our goal was to educate students on what to do at the upcoming career fair,” said Marrett. “You aren’t a candidate until your application impresses the recruiter.”

Internships Abroad Panel Hosted by CIS Abroad

An information session coordinated by the CICD and CIS Abroad educated students on the study abroad options they have at Eastern. Students can select from locations all over the world. Mexico, Australia, Spain and Italy are just a few of the hot locations to choose from. Students can go overseas for a semester, a summer, a couple of weeks or during a winter session. The CIS program’s primary purpose was to introduce students to opportunities and realities of studying abroad. “Going abroad taught me life, a new language and changed my career path, it was a real struggle coming home,” said Carlos Corona, program planning assistant. “It gave me real-life experience in a different culture, while still learning and completing my college education.”

Etiquette Dinner

Students and faculty were welcome to attend a four-course dinner where individuals were able to network with alumni. Guest speaker Jeffrey Kwolek, senior director of dining services of Chartwells, spoke to students about the customs of dining in the professional world. Students received tips about proper etiquette while dining, as well as advice on their after-graduation job search. This was a collaborative event between the Office of Alumni Affairs and the CICD.

Career and Internship Fair

The week concluded with a Career and Internship Fair; the CICD gathered more than 100 companies at Eastern on April 7. The fair was designed to enable students to network with recruiters for internships and full-time employment. “Some students left the fair full of joy as some employers were scheduling interviews right on the spot,” said Marrett.

Held in the Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium, the fair was lined wall to wall with tables staffed by two or three recruiters representing each company. “We had a lot of interested individuals come up to us today, we like to see students with experience and skills,” said Jim Conrad, editor of the Norwich Bulletin and an Eastern Alumnus. “We offer internships all year long and enjoy taking on students.”

“The fair was very helpful; talking to recruiters face-to-face definitely allowed me to add some personality to my application,” said Junior Amanda Demaio. Students were able to fill out applications and get information about the specifics of the positions they could apply for. The CICD hosts a career and internship fair once every semester.

“This week was an overall success. Every event hosted, students were engaged and intrigued about what the CICD had to offer,” said Alvis Torrens, CICD student worker. “Our goal is to continue to grow our internship and career fair. The support we received from all Eastern community members was a huge factor in our success. Everything was well planned and ran very smoothly.”

“This week gave students a chance to talk with recruiters from real companies as well as multiple opportunities to network. It also made them aware of what is appropriate in different job settings,” said CICD intern Tyler Stevens.