Spring Career sets new record for employer attendance

Despite temperatures hovering around zero, Montana State University-Northern’s Spring Career Fair will host a record number of employers Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon inside the Armory Gymnasium.

Northern Career Center Director Mary Heller said 57 employers have registered to attend the career fair and are coming from as far as places like Alaska and Florida.

She added that a majority of the employers are from the diesel industry, but there is an increase in the number of nursing employers that are coming.

In the fall career fair, Heller said, only a couple nursing employers attended, but there are seven employers registered this year.

The number of agriculture employers also saw a big increase, she added. In the fall, Heller said one ag employer attended, but this year nine have registered.

She added that 14 employers will be staying to interview students for internships or full-time positions.

“We’ve usually had about eight,” Heller said.

She said the employers will stay on campus to conduct the interviews and the Northern staff have provided rooms for the employers to use with Heller’s office being one of them. She added that if the employers have not finished their interviews Thursday, then they will stay and finish them on Friday.

“Most places like Bozeman or Missoula, when they have a career fair, they make you interview off to the side or in a hallway or something,” Heller said. “We actually find a room where it’s private, it’s confidential. You know, it’s an actual interview process.”

Heller said there are a few first time employers that will be attending the Spring Career Fair as well. 406 Agronomy, Couer Alaska Inc., Great Falls Chamber of Commerce, Montana Civil Contractors and G and J Diesel are all first time attendees.

She added that several employers will be sending former alumni as representatives as well. Timber Creek Village Assisted Living, Fairbanks Morse, GE Transportation, Hoven Equipment Company, Interstate PowerSystems, CHS Inc., and Tractor and Equipment Company Inc. all have former Northern students working for them who will be attending the career fair.

“That’s kind of neat when they come back and they recruit from their alma mater,” Heller said.

She added that it does help having someone who graduated from Northern come back and talk about their experience in the field in relation to what they learned at the university.

“That’s a big draw, because then they can talk about it firsthand,” Heller said.

The Career Center has been busy with students submitting resumes for review, Heller said, and she has noticed an increase in email traffic. She added that faculty have been requesting her to come and speak to their students about the career fair and how to approach employers.

Heller said that she is thankful the employers are braving the weather and coming to attend the career fair.

The career fair is open to all current students as well as alumni. Students and alumni interested in finding out which companies are interviewing and when the interview times are can log onto their CareerExpress account or contact the Career Center for more information.