THUNDER BAY – Students at Lakehead University are learning that it’s never too early to start thinking about what comes after graduation.
Lakehead University hosted its annual Fall Career Fair on Tuesday, providing students with a glimpse into the many different regional, provincial, and national career opportunities that await them.
“This is targeting all programs at the university,” said Christina Buzzi, student success advisor with Lakehead University. “The employers are here to build relationships with students and create awareness about potential career direction or possible job opportunities.”
There were 26 employers on hand in the Agora from a variety of public and private sector companies. Buzzi said that this year there was a number of government jobs being advertised, as well as companies from the natural resources sector.
While career fairs are usually a draw for students nearing graduation, Buzzi said employers are often looking to recruit students from all year levels.
“Some of the companies do have their eyes on upcoming graduates, so they would be looking for final year students, but quite a few are interested in summer student workers, so that would be any year level,” Buzzi said.
Reaching out to students just starting their post-secondary education can also be beneficial for employers, who use career fairs as a way to build relationships with potential recruits. For students, it’s all about discovering what’s out there.
“It gives students a chance for career exploration and explore some possibilities of what one can do when they graduate,” Buzzi said. “It also gives them a chance to speak directly with industry professionals. They can learn how to prepare for work in the field or if there are upcoming opportunities.”
Emma Cameron, who is starting her first year in the Natural Resources and Forestry program, said it’s never too early to start looking at the opportunities that are out there.
“It’s very informative,” she said. “I’ve been looking a lot into the forestry booth and they’ve been very helpful. I’m hoping to get a job this summer and get more experience in my field and hopefully that will lead into a further career after university.”
Cameron said she’s not too worried about finding employment after graduation and after visiting the career fair, she feels confident that there will be a lot of opportunities in her field of study.
“There’s a lot of options,” she said. “There’s quite a few forestry booths, so it looks like there’s a lot of opportunities for people in the forestry program.”
