Document text
June 28, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels February 27, 2004 SOU fair attracts recruiters By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings Wearing their best suits and ties, with a folder of resumes in their hands, hundreds of Southern Oregon University students were ready to meet potential employers on Thursday night. The Career Networking Fair 2004 gave the 50 employers in attendance a chance to find future workers from the applicants available at SOU. "It's a wonderful way for students to meet a wide range of employers all at once, and to network," said Sib Farrell, SOU career services director. The university estimated 400 to 500 students attended the event. Employers who attended came from a wide spectrum of businesses and organizations such as the Bear Creek Corporation, Fred Myer, Washington Mutual, the Peace Corps and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This year, the number of employers was comparable to last year, but was down from where it was four or five years ago. The number of employers that come to the fair does mirror how the economy is doing, Farrell said. In 2000, the fair had 90 employers. "It was the biggest we ever had, but then, the economy went into the tank," she said. Sharon Fink, career fair coordinator, said while the number of employers might not be as high, there were encouraging signs at the fair. There were more employers who were seeking applicants than last year, instead of taking applications for future openings, she said. "I think it's been better," Fink said. "We have had more employers arrange interviews for after the fair." Kember Dollarhide, a personnel coordinator with Lithia Motors, knew exactly what the group of anxious students were feeling. She was in their shoes only a year ago. Dollarhide was 39, a mother of four and about to graduate with a degree in history. Deciding to go to the fair at the last minute, she went to the Lithia Motors booth, and said she was impressed with how they treated her and their interest in what she had to offer. When she graduated in June, Dollarhide had a job with Lithia. SOU student Katarzyna Zak does not graduate until next year, but wanted to see what internship opportunities were available. An English and Journalism major from Poland, she had worked in the Polish president's media department. After talking to KTVL-TV10 in Medford, and having them go over her resume and experience, they offered her a summer internship working for the production department on the spot. "I just came to check things out and I got this internship right away," she said. "I was surprised." Stephanie Beasly, a SOU senior who will graduate at the end of winter term with a degree in business marketing, was glad to be able to network with employers. Having just arrived at the fair, she was hopeful to find employers that appealed to her. Beasly said she would like to work for a winery or in a health-related field. Since starting her job search, she has noticed that available opportunities appear to really depend on location. While larger cities she looked at had a fair amount of openings, there haven't been as many in Southern Oregon, Beasly said. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams