Last Friday, we had an opportunity to attend the Liberal Arts career fair at Virginia Tech. It was the college’s first attempt at a fair and it was a successful one.

The program and planning committee did not charge to attend. They kept it small at about 20-25 employers. Therefore, attendance was good and with fewer booths employers had more time with students. Perhaps next year personally inviting 20-25 local companies may make it even better.

The committee also focused on connecting students to employers. That is the primary reason for the fair. There were minimal logistics, which typically bog down other fairs.

The students were very engaging and were more than willing to talk to a stranger or a company they did not know much about.  This soft skill should not be overlooked, however, no one is going to hire someone just for this skill alone.

It was clear many of the students did not know what they wanted to do with their major.  This is fine, and I think this event helped them see what was out there.

Those who did know were often focused on careers where competition is intense (i.e. journalism, professional writing, sports). Therefore, these students must do something that differentiates themselves from the rest of the pack. They must use successful job search strategies to break into these industries.

Overall, it was a good first attempt to connect local employers to these students at Virginia Tech.  By reducing the number of logistics and differentiating themselves from other on-campus fairs (free to attend) will result in employers wanting to return next year or possibly in the spring.

New Orleans post-Katrina is continuing to transform itself into a vibrant community. Many young, creative class workers are looking at the opportunity to shape the new New Orleans. Part of the reason so many are coming there is they are wanted! The regions wants these people to move, live and get involved. They are embraced, celebrated and are giving opportunities to shape their region.

Are other communities this accommodating to the younger creative class of workers? If not, why? Maybe our region need a 540rward!

Great post by Carol at CEO for Cities blog about how Mayors in the Detroit area are trying to connect and collaborate with emerging Gen Y leaders.

We attended the Business Horizons Career Fair at Virginia Tech last Thursday with the NewVa Corridor Technology Council. We were one of about 17 local firms (170 total) recruiting business students at Virginia Tech. We spoke to about 25 students who were really interested in our organizations and region.

A couple of takeaways…

1. College students are interested in brand name companies. The NCTC is not a brand name company, but it represents 150+ member organizations. However, the student is not doing the research prior to the fair to see what is available in the region or with the NCTC.

2. Local companies cannot afford to participate in the fairs. Most local companies do not have dedicated recruiters who are trying to hire many positions. Most have one of two positions an the cost of the booth $500, coupled with one day away from the office to recruit college student who are not ready to work until 9 months later is just not a good use of time and resources for a smaller company. Therefore, this explains our presence at the fair recruiting on behalf of the smaller companies.  

3. Students with billable skills in majors such as engineering, accounting, IT, health care, architecture are going to have a much easier job finding employment locally than students with degrees offering limited billable skills (marketing, management, liberal arts, communication, political science). The reason is there is a surplus of people who have non-billable skills AND have experience. Recent graduates may think a better professional job exists in a larger metro, but often these jobs are masqueraded as such and with the higher cost of living and longer commute times over time that choice is not the best.

So how do we change it?

1.) We must educate students in innovative ways about the opportunities that exist.

2.) We must encourage local companies to recruit at local colleges.

3.) Business and government organizations must connect people and make introductions between the local business community and university community.

4.) Local companies must participate in and support programs and events designed to carry out the previous three points.

Today marks a great opportunity for area job seekers as two fantastic fairs are being held. One is on the campus of Virginia Tech with its annual Engineering Expo. The second held at the Salem Civic Center from 10-4 pm hosted by the Roanoke Times.  Please plan to attend these events.