94.3% of St. John's 2018-2019 graduates were employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation.
March 6, 2019
More than 725 students turned out to explore local, national, and global job and internship opportunities at St. John’s University’s annual Spring Career Fair.
Held on Thursday, February 21, in Taffner Field House on the Queens, NY, campus, the career fair drew 77 employers representing a broad range of industries, such as finance and business, fashion, the nonprofit sector, city and state government, law enforcement, internet and software, healthcare, journalism and publishing, and sports.
Employers that dispatched recruiters to engage with students included Walgreens, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the Peace Corps, and Deloitte.
“Students can expect that many of their first encounters with prospective employers will be virtual—by phone, video conference, or recorded interviews. As technology becomes more prevalent in recruiting, career fairs present students with a critically important opportunity to connect with employers face to face,” said Paulette Gonzalez, Executive Director, University Career Services.
The career fair offers a similar opportunity for employers pursuing direct contact with potential employees. “Many employers look to connect with our students early and often,” said Donna Haynes, Senior Director of Employer Relations, University Career Services. “The career fair provides employers with the opportunity to build their talent pipeline to fill future internship and full-time roles.”
Students expressed satisfaction with being offered a chance to have face time with a wide variety of recruiters.
“The fair gives me exposure to all types of businesses,” said Jonathan Adabi, a senior majoring in finance. “I see that the big four accounting firms are here, and some risk management firms are here, as well.”
Drew Williams, a junior majoring in sport management, reached the goal he had set for himself at the start of the fair: to meet with representatives of six companies he targeted through research he did while preparing for the event.
“I am here because I want to get comfortable speaking with different employers and see what opportunities are out there for someone like me,” he said.
Nadia Hegazy, a freshman pharmacy major, is searching for a summer job or paid internship. “I came to the career fair because I was told by a graduate student that this is the best place to start—your own school—when you’re looking for a position.”
Technology was used at the event to further enhance the experience of the attendees. Students could more easily navigate the fair by accessing the Career Fair Plus app on their cell phones. The free service provided students with the full list and descriptions of represented employers and a floor plan to help pinpoint their locations within the area of the event. There was also a LinkedIn photo station that enabled fairgoers to obtain a free, professional headshot for their profiles.
The day before the event, University Career Services hosted Prepare for the Fair, during which the entire staff was available to assist students on a walk-in basis who wanted help with reviewing their résumés.
In addition, the Gamma Iota Sigma coed fraternity hosted Gamma Closet, a professional clothing drive for students in need of appropriate business attire to wear to the career fair.
Raymond Cruze, Recruitment Liaison for the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services, returns every year to St. John’s career fairs because he is usually able to find talented students to fill vacancies within his department.
“St. John’s University has a very good standard and that is reflected in its students,” Mr. Cruze said. “Many students here express interest in making a social impact. They want to help their city, and they generally have impressive grade point averages.”
For recruiter Magdaleeni Milonakis, C.F.E. ’14TCB, ’14MS, a Financial Investigations and Dispute Advisory Services Associate with RSM US LLP, an audit, tax, and consulting firm, attending the fair gave her an opportunity to visit her alma mater, as well as search for potential employees and interns.
“I used to go to all of the career fairs when I was a student here,” said Ms. Milonakis, who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting at St. John’s. “I love to come back to St. John’s so that I can pay it forward.”