More than 90 employers are registered to attend this semester’s Off-campus Job and Internship Fair, which will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 2, in the Barnhardt Student Activity Center.
At this event, UNC Charlotte students will have the opportunity to network with potential employers that are offering hundreds of positions. Formerly called the Part-time Job Fair, the Off-campus Job and Internship Fair has been expanded to provide students an array of positions, including part-time/full-time student jobs, seasonal and temporary positions, internships and co-ops, and even some full-time, postgrad jobs.
The University Career Center is hosting the event. All UNC Charlotte students are encouraged to attend, and there will be opportunities for first-year students through graduating seniors. Current registrants include Carolinas HealthCare System – Research, Charlotte Hornets, Coca-Cola Bottling, Department of Homeland Security, Great Wolf Lodge, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Norsan Media, Target, the Charlotte Observer and Wells Fargo.
During the past few years, results of post-graduation inquiries by the University Career Center have indicated that 80 to 85 percent of UNC Charlotte students work while in college. Part-time jobs and internships provide students with the opportunity to offset the cost of tuition, build transferable skills and gain mentors and employer connections.
The benefits that students gain from off-campus employment are the basis for the program Job Location and Development (JLD), a federally-funded initiative that connects students with work opportunities.
“The JLD Program has been tremendously successful at connecting students with local employers who are hiring. Last year, UNC Charlotte students had access to more than 4,000 jobs and earned $1.45 million through the program,” said Michelle Wann, JLD coordinator and staff member at the University Career Center. “While the JLD program posts positions year-round, the Off-campus Job and Internship Fair is an important event for students to meet employers in person.”
Students attending the event should bring multiple copies of a professional resume, research employers before the event, and dress in business professional or business casual clothing. During the week leading up to the fair, the University Career Center will offer pre-fair resume critiques and programming on how to prepare for a job fair.
The Oct. 2 event is one of five career fairs the University Career Center hosts; upcoming spring events include the Off-campus Job and Internship Fair on Feb. 6, the Education Career Fair on Feb. 27 and the Spring Career Expo on April 10. Employers can learn more about these events and register online.