Public career fairs bringing hundreds of employers to WMU

Contact: Jeanne Baron

Photo of a male and female student discussing their job prospects at a booth during the 2017 winter Career Fair.

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Hundreds of employers will connect with job seekers from across West Michigan when they participate in six career fairs at Western Michigan University later this month and in February.

The WMU-organized events are free and open to the public, although tailored to college students and recent college graduates. Three are offered through Career and Student Employment Services and three are offered through the Haworth College of Business.

New to the winter event mix this year is the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics—STEM—Fair. It was created due to the high demand for workers with a background in these specialized fields. But because many employers are seeking to fill a variety of non-STEM as well as STEM positions, many employers will still participate in the longstanding winter Career Fair, WMU's largest annual career-related event.

Job seekers are encouraged to review the lists of employers that have registered to participate in each of the upcoming fairs as well as to note the types of positions they have open. Members of the public, along with students and alumni from WMU and other area colleges and universities, are welcome to attend as many events as they wish.

All WMU students and alumni are advised to take advantage of the fair preparation events being offered. The University's business students also should take advantage of additional preparation events being staged by the Haworth College of Business.

Career and Student Employment Services events

Photo of a male student interacting with a female Spectrum Health representative during the 2017 winter Career Fair.

A list of employers participating in each of the CSES fairs is posted online at wmich.edu/career/events and will be updated each Monday. WMU students and alumni must log in to Handshake at wmich.joinhandshake.com to see the most complete and up-to-date list of participating employers. Handshake also is necessary to research employers.

More details about the following fairs are available by visiting the events section of the webpage at wmich.edu/career/events or contacting CSES at career-fair@wmich.edu or (269) 387-2745.

  • The STEM Fair has been scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7, in the Bernhard Center Ballroom. Employers will be recruiting to fill internships and full-time positions. Some will conduct first-round interviews with selected candidates Thursday, Feb. 8, in the Bernhard Center. This event will include many employers seeking candidates from interdisciplinary programs and programs in the humanities as well as from such areas as engineering, the hard sciences, mathematics, computer science, data science, business information systems, and telecommunications and information management. In addition to CSES, the STEM fair is being co-sponsored by Gentex Corp. and Kalamazoo College.
  • The 40th Career Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, in the Bernhard Center Ballroom. Employers will be recruiting for internships and full-time positions. Some will conduct first-round interviews with selected candidates Friday, Feb. 9. This event is targeted to people from any major. Participating organizations will be seeking candidates from interdisciplinary programs as well as from such areas as the humanities, the fine arts, business, supply chain management, food marketing, the social sciences, aviation, health care and education. This year's corporate sponsor is Consumers Credit Union.
  • The fourth annual Government and Nonprofit Career Fair is set for 1 to 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, in the Bernhard Center's East Ballroom. It is expected to attract about 100 employers from governmental and nonprofit organizations. This event is targeted to people from any major and is a partnership between CSES, City Year, Kalamazoo College, and Moka.

Haworth College of Business events

A list of employers participating in each of the business fairs is available by downloading the Career Fair Plus mobile app from Google Play or the App Store. This free app allows job seekers to use their Android or iOS phones and tablets to search for the Haworth College of Business, click any of the college's fairs and access specific information about these events.

More details about the following business-related fairs, as well as preparation events for WMU's business students and alumni, are available by visiting the events section of the Zhang Career Center webpage at wmich.edu/business/career/programs or contacting the subsequent staff members.

  • ISM Career Night will take place from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30, in the Fetzer Center. It is an evening of networking for students pursuing internships and entry-level positions in supply chain management. Some employers will conduct interviews with selected candidates Wednesday, Jan. 31, in the business college's Zhang Career Center. This event will feature employer turbo presentations as well as opportunities to network with company representatives. ISM career night is being sponsored by IDEX Corp. Direct questions to Erin Leigh at erin.leigh@wmich.edu or call (269) 387-2761.
  • IT Career Day will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2, in the Fetzer Center. It is a day of networking for students pursuing internships and entry-level positions in the technology field. This event will feature company introductions as well as opportunities to network with company representatives. Direct questions to Jennifer Palmatier at jennifer.r.palmatier@wmich.edu or (269) 387-2729.
  • Marketing, Food/Sales Marketing Career Night will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7, in the Fetzer Center. It will be a networking evening for students pursuing internships and entry-level positions in marketing, with a focus on careers in food marketing, marketing and sales. Some employers will conduct interviews with selected candidates Thursday, Feb. 8, in the business college's Zhang Career Center. This event will involve a presentation by a keynote speaker followed by networking. Marketing, food/sales night is being sponsored by SpartanNash. Direct questions to Jennifer Palmatier at jennifer.r.palmatier@wmich.edu or (269) 387-2729.

Sample prep events for all students

Photo of two students talking to one another as they jot down notes during a career fair.

Details about the following preparation events for WMU students and alumni are in Handshake at wmich.joinhandshake.com. Questions should be directed to event chairs Buffy Nespodzany and Amanda Jeppesen at career-fair@wmich.edu or (269) 387-2745.

Resume critique drop-off

  • Through Monday, Feb. 5, in 1401 Ellsworth Hall.

Drop-in Career Advising

  • Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m., in the Career Zone in 1344 Ellsworth Hall.
  • Thursdays, noon to 4 p.m. in 2352 Friedmann Hall.
  • Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon to 3 p.m. in Café Critique in the Parkview Café.

Events with employers

  • Get Ready for February Job Fairs with Consumers Credit Union, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in 3025 Brown Hall.
  • Professionalism and Social Media with Verizon Wireless, Thursday, Jan. 25, 4 to 6 p.m. in 211 Bernhard Center.
  • International Student Employment Seminar with Miller Johnson Attorneys, Friday, Jan. 26, noon to 3 p.m. in the President's Dining Room in the Bernhard Center.
  • Get Ready for Job Fairs and Resume Critique with DENSO, Thursday, Feb. 1, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. in the Faculty Lounge (D-120) and first-floor lobby in Floyd Hall.
  • Dress for Success Fashion Show and Resume Drop Off with Phi Chi Theta, Monday, Feb. 5, 7 to 9 p.m. in 105-107 Bernhard Center.

Additional information

Job seekers attending any of the January and February fairs should research employers in advance, dress professionally and bring copies of an updated resume. Many employers will ask candidates to complete an online application in lieu of accepting a paper resume. WMU students should bring their Bronco Card to the fairs.

The GPS address for the Bernhard Center is 1922 W. Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo MI 49008. The GPS address for the Fetzer Center is 2251 Business Court, Kalamazoo MI 49008. For University maps, visit wmich.edu/maps/print. Parking information is available at wmich.edu/parking.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.