Ohio State students connect job seekers with employers at community career fair

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Ohio State students connect job seekers with employers at community career fair

Student volunteers bring resources, mentorship and barrier breaking support

Students from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business on Sunday presented the Columbus Emerging Careers Expo, a free community service that brought together job seekers with central Ohio employers. The event was held at the Columbus Metropolitan Library Main Branch.

Fisher students created the event last year as part of the college's Honors Cohort Impact Challenge, said Jacob Brodson, organizer of this year's event, who will graduate May 10 with a bachelor's degree in marketing.

"We're trying to unite career development with the career fair," he said. "We're eliminating those things that oftentimes might prevent [job seekers] from getting hired or prevent them from even getting looked at."

The expo provided attendees with resume reviews, professional headshots and assistance with creating LinkedIn profiles. Employers hosted booths and met with job seekers about hiring opportunities.

"We recognize that the resources that we have at Fisher College of Business and at Ohio State," Brodson said, "they're second to none."

Brodson worked with a team of Ohio State student volunteers to organize the event.

"These students serve as a vital community bridge, taking the career resources and professional development provided to them on campus and sharing that knowledge directly with our guests," he said. "This peer-to-peer exchange ensures that the high-level training we receive as students is democratized for the benefit of the entire city."

Brodson and the team of Ohio State students partnered with Columbus nonprofits Families Flourish and Motherful. The organizations helped provide services to reduce barriers for job seekers, such as free meals and on-site child care for expo attendees.

"We got a lot of representation from groups of people who really couldn't go to an event like this without the support that we provided," Brodson said. "I think the idea and the model of this all-under-one-roof type of event is so critical. Not only can we help people gain these skills, but how can we see them apply them in real time?"

The expo also featured a panel discussion with business professionals offering career-readiness tips.

Among the panelists were: Kim Campbell, senior talent development consultant for Nationwide Children's Hospital; career coaches Cameryn Mitchell and Ciera Shanks; Amber Stevens, human resources senior director for Communities in Schools of Ohio; and TeAsia Tarver, a consultant for workforce initiatives and schools.

For students seeking their first jobs and professionals considering changing careers, important steps include gathering information and establishing relationships with companies and individuals who work there, Campbell said.

"The first thing you really need to do is investigate what it is that you are interested in," she said. "It really is all about strategy and gaining good information from resources. Don't be afraid to ask others who may be doing what it is you think you want to do, how they got there."

Searching event databases to identify career fairs and networking opportunities can help job seekers establish professional contacts ― and can even benefit introverts, Shanks said.

"Go out and meet people," she said. "Get out there and do it afraid, do it nervously, start having conversations at those networking events."

Once job seekers have been hired, seeking out mentors and investing in continuing education is essential to professional development and career advancement, Tarver said.

"That mentorship piece is important. We're never too old to learn," she said. "Never stop continuing your education."

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