Peddling careers at Northern Career Fair

Mark Benjamin, a junior at Montana State University-Northern, walked among the crowd of students Monday surveying some career prospects in the university's Armory Gymnasium.

"Looking for something, maybe an internship, job over the summer or something to pay for tuition," said Benjamin, a biology major, who said he was looking for a possible opening with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

He wasn't alone at the fair. With only a half hour remaining, Mary Heller, director of Northern's career center, said that at least 250 students showed up to look for job opportunities and network with potential employers in the public and private sectors.

The number of students was down from the 304 who attended the fall career fair. Heller said that could be because some of the nursing students who might otherwise come could not get out of their clinicals.

Heller said that the number of employers however exceeded previous records.

"We have 42 registered employers which is the largest career fair to date," Heller said.

The North American chapter of Wartsila, a Finnish diesel engine manufacturer, was one of the fair's two gold-level sponsors. In exchange for paying a higher registration fee, the company was provided with a table wider than those of their peers and situated at the front of the room and given a full page advertisement in the student guide.

Juan Ruiez, a representative with the company said they were hoping to attract a few people to be field service engineers.

Since forming a partnership with Northern, Ruiz said the company has hired about 15 students from Northern's diesel program.

That day, Ruiz said between nine and 12 students had expressed interest in working for them.

Employers with a presence at the event included: Triangle Communications, Tilleman Motor Company, GE Transportation and Montana Rail Link among others.

Not all student attendees expected to find a job.

"For right now, I am trying to get my foot in the door because I don't really know a lot of these companies because I am new to the diesel program," said Breck Don, a student who recently switched her major to the diesel program.

Don said that while she would like to get a chance to do some work with a co-op or internship company she is keeping her expectations in check. She said most employers in that field want people with more experience than she has.

Andrew Leck Inc., a wheat farm out of Galata, was one of many employers who had never previously had a table at a job fair. The company is looking for people to work as mechanics on their farm machinery.

"This is actually the first one we've gone to," said Andy Leck, the farm's owner and namesake. "Before that we relied on word of mouth, Craigslist and things like that."

Twenty-six of the 42 employers at the fair were not diesel related, Heller said, something she has been striving to get - more employers from nondiesel related fields.

"We have lots of jobs openings right now with Independence Bank, and we are always looking," said Mary Faber of Independence Bank. "So it is just great to get the college students as they are graduating."

The Havre Police Department said they found a few promising recruits.

"We've seen quite a few students stop by and kind of explain our hiring process to them and what it takes to work in law enforcement," said Havre Police Chief Gabe Matosich.

He said in recent years fewer people have been interested in entering law enforcement than than five years ago.

Matosich said recent events and violence - not in the Havre community but reported nationally - as it relates to the tension between law enforcement and people in the community might be the cause for the waning interest, but added that multiple causes including the working conditions and the hours could be the cause.

"I think maybe people are looking for an 8-to-5, 9-to-5 type of job," Matosich said. "This is every day, all day, 24/7."