The University of Wisconsin-Superior hosted the Head of the Lakes Job and Internship Fair on February 28, 2019, in the Yellowjacket Union Great Room.
From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., employers from Minnesota and Wisconsin interacted with prospective people from UWS, University of Minnesota Duluth, and the College of St. Scholastica for job and internship positions. According to Emma Hengemuhle, the associate student services coordinator for career services, “We ended up having 85 employers this year, and one just showed up the day of the fair. We hosted about 370 plus students this year, which is about 50 more than last year.”
UWS senior and business administration major, Becca Jago, attended the fair once before. “I learned that there are many opportunities that may not be available now, but could be in the future,” said Jago. From nonprofits to computer science to trade professions to marketing, the fair offered students a wide range of potential professional fields and representatives to speak with. “A lot of the time you need that advice and to learn from people who are in the field to really get a good grasp of what the field is like,” said Hengemuhle.
Throughout the day, people explored potential career pathways and disseminated their resumes. “It’s important to network with these employers,” Hengemuhle explained. “You can see their nonverbals and can look people in the eye that allows you to create that personal touch.” For Jago, specific factors made her want to converse with certain companies over others. “I was typically drawn to a table if they had friendly welcoming people, the potential for the position I wanted and looked to be hiring soon.”
New to the fair this year, students could get a professional headshot taken. According to Hengemuhle, a little under half of the students utilized this opportunity, and she hopes to offer this service at the fair in upcoming years.