Great Lakes Bay Job Fair at Delta College

Job-seekers explore career opportunities 

By Emma Brown

UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich.ー Delta students had the opportunity to explore career options on Thursday, Oct. 15 at Delta’s main campus thanks to a collaboration with the Great Lakes Bay. There were approximately 80 different employers at the job fair ready to engage with students.

People may not take advantage of job fairs because they aren’t aware of the opportunities it can bring. When speaking to Khristi Callahan with Bay Community Health Department, she mentioned the advantages a job fair offers students. 

“It opens up the floor to allow them to know what opportunities are out there,” Callahan said.

Keyon Purite from Spherion mentioned the importance of in-person interviewing and interaction at job fairs, recalling how back in the day, jobseekers went door to door.

“It gives you a taste of real life,” he said. “What it looks like to hit the ground running.”

To prepare for one’s first job fair, there’s a few main things employers look for in jobseekers. When asked what students can do to prepare for a job fair, employers said to dress professionally, have resumes to hand out, make eye contact and have firm handshakes. Students can take advantage of these to hone their interview skills and ace their first impressions.

Alana Simmons from Great Lakes Bay Health said something she notices is when jobseekers come already knowledgeable about a company.

“I tend to notice when they bring it up as if they’ve looked into us prior to coming to the job fair,” Simmons said.

In order to get a head start for a job fair, knowing possible employers’ expectations can help one stand out. Popular expectations amongst employers for job fairs and interviews are coming prepared with questions, being authentic and confident. 

Not only do job fairs create opportunities for students to make connections, but they also encourage development of skills such as professional communication and interviews. The Delta job fair opened a world of opportunities for students to pursue in the future.