Hundreds of students gathered in the Ronnie Williams Student Center on Nov. 1 to peruse the bustling career fair in search of their ideal future jobs.
UCA Career Services hosts six career fairs annually, each targeting a different career path or degree plan. For example, the next two career fairs are intended for nursing and education students.
Over 30 businesses participated in the event, which lasted from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and they used that time to market their brands and showcase why students should want to work with them.
Lauren Gregory, a sophomore studying computer science, loves everything technology and considers herself an “adaptable and fast learner.” She said she hopes to find an internship that values those traits.
Employers such as Cintas Corporation, Conway Public Schools, Pruitt Financial Services LLC, Gainwell Technologies, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, Sinclair Broadcast Group (KATV) and Baldwin & Shell made appearances hoping to snag some potential new interns and employees.
Elizabeth Ennis is a senior logistics and supply chain management student who attended the career fair pursuing a job that treats its employees like family.
“I’m really just looking for something that, yes, prioritizes the work, but also values their employees,” she said.
Ennis said she saw a lot of companies with high employee satisfaction rates, which excites her for her future career.
The career fair featured many potential employers for students to chat with, and some brought alumni to discuss their experiences in their respective jobs.
Madigan Chester graduated from UCA in 2022 with a Bachelor of Business Administration. She majored in insurance and risk management with a concentration in personal financial planning.
Chester has worked at McGriff, an insurance broker specializing in property, casualty and employee benefits, since February.
She said she has enjoyed her time there immensely and bragged about her fantastic co-workers who helped her transition into the “real world” after college.
“I love my job because of the atmosphere and the people. I think McGriff is a great place to work, we’re like a family. We have a lot of employee outings and employee appreciation events, and it’s just a really great group.
“We’re looking for students who are willing and ready to work, and passionate. They want to know about insurance and they want to help people. Insurance is something I never knew I would be interested in. It’s always changing. That’s one of my favorite things about this job,” Chester said.
She reminisced on her last year of college and the benefits of going to a career fair every chance she could.
“I know a lot of people think it’s a waste of time, but I was recruited at the career fair last year,” she said.
She said it felt like a full circle moment to come back and help recruit for the organization she loves.
Kennedy Hutchins, Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation’s human resources coordinator, beamed with pride while talking about her job and the qualities it seeks in interns and employees.
“UCA has a really good computer science department and it turns out a lot of great candidates from there. We’re really heavy in technology and security, so those internships are the second most prevalent ones we do, so we really wanted to come to UCA,” Hutchins said. She said they are looking for driven people and team players.
UCA Career Services offers multiple forms of aid for students to ensure their success: mock interviews, resume and cover letter revisions and the WOW Closet, which lets each student have one free professional outfit each academic year so they can dress to impress.
While this was the last career fair of the fall semester, don’t fret. There will be three more in the spring: the nursing job fair Jan. 18, the teachers’ fair Feb. 23 and the career fair March 6.
