HPU connects students with future employers through expo
By Jennifer Pascale, Staff Writer //
On Feb. 11, High Point University students were given the opportunity to meet with business owners and high-profile corporations at the career and internship expo held in the Slane Center.
At the start of every Fall and Spring semester, the Career and Internship Services at HPU bring in various companies to meet with the students. Students seeking internships or full-time permanent positions are afforded a face-to-face conversation with the upper-level management in the business.
What makes this expo unique is that it is geared toward almost every major and minor on campus. Businesses that attended the expo included Volvo Group, BB&T, Enterprise Rent a Car, Cintas, Prism Medical Products, the Marriott and many more.
Each of these businesses is looking for students with young, fresh minds to help bring new ideas to the table and they are looking for ideas in more ways than one.
The Marriott is not just looking for students in hospitality, but also in history and interior design. Enterprise Rent a Car has various levels of positions, from sales and marketing to accounting and finances; there are opportunities for all students.
“The Spring Career Expo offered diversity in the companies present,” Sterling Tkach, senior, said. “I met several companies that interested me and they were across different industries.”
This is an important opportunity for seniors especially, who have not yet secured a position with a specific company.
Eric Melniczek, a former recruiter, now works as a career adviser at HPU.
“It’s an opportunity to meet with somebody and ask him or her questions that you just can’t get from sending an email or calling somebody,” Melniczek said. “They always say the best way to get information from somebody is face-to-face; it’s more memorable.”
Melniczek says that students need to figure out two things in order to be successful in a position. The first thing they must do is ask themselves “How am I going to add value to company A?” and “How am I a cultural fit for that company?”
By asking these questions, students are analyzing whether or not their values are the same as the values of that company.
Students have found this way of networking and creating relationships with different companies to be very beneficial.
Freshmen and sophomores who are still getting the experience from their classes utilize the expo as a networking opportunity to get their name out there, so when it comes to their junior and senior year, they have already made several connections.
Melniczek’s advice to students is to be yourself and represent your ideas in a way that highlight your true character. If you do this, good things will come to you.
This is an exciting time for students because it is the first step toward a professional future, and the expo allows them to get their feet wet, Melnizecek says.