March 2, 2017
Students and Recruiters Attend School of Hospitality Leadership’s Career Fair
Students and vendors jammed SHL’s Career Fair on Feb. 21st
The School of Hospitality Leadership (SHL) recently held their annual Career Fair. Thirty companies exhibited with the hopes of capturing the attention of the SHL students who attended, which was up from last year’s count. Dr. Robert M. O’Halloran, the school’s director, said he heard encouraging remarks by a participating recruiter, including “First time here; great event! The students looked sharp. Great resumes.”
He added, “Recruiters discussed and shared information, and interviewed for internships and entry-level positions in their organizations.”
Samantha Hunnicutt is with the Hampton Inn and Suites. She attended last year’s Career Fair as a student. This year, she was a recruiter. She’s very familiar with the quality of students the School of Hospitality and Leadership prepares for the workforce.
“They bring a specific kind of demeanor to the job,” Hunnicutt said. “They are very professional, well-rounded and know a lot about the hospitality industry.”
Traye Davis of Aramark says his company participates in the Career Fair because he knows it will find passion-driven people. If you’re a student in the hospitality field, he said of the Fair, “this is where you want to go.”
Catrina Dockery
Senior Catrina Dockery attended the career fair because “it offers so many opportunities to have a job after graduation.” She said, “many of these people (vendors) who came offered interviews.”
Elizabeth Rowe
Elizabeth Rowe, an SHL sophomore, took the ‘early-bird-gets-the-worm’ approach when it came to attending the fair. She wanted to find an internship.
“I thought I could get my foot in the door now and say this is who I am, this is what I’ve done, and this is where I want to go in the future,” said Rowe.
Ryan Westmark
And for those students who decided not to attend this year’s fair, SHL senior Ryan Westmark suggests they need to attend next year’s event.
“They should definitely come next year so they can broaden their horizons and understand what the business world is like once you get out of college,” said Westmark.
O’Halloran said the career fair organizers are already planning next year’s event.