by Ryan Bower, Assistant Director of Public Relations
Students looking to enter the workforce upon graduation will find a slew of opportunities at Cedarville University's fall career fair on Wednesday, Oct. 7, where more than 90 companies will be represented.
The event runs from 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.in the Doden Field House and is open to the public and free of charge.
Recruiters from some of the top companies in the country will attend, along with representatives from prestigious graduate programs and several state and federal government agencies. Organizations participating at the event include Boeing, Cummins, Chick-fil-A, Inc., Dayton Power and Light, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, General Motors, Honda, Kroger, LexisNexis, Northwestern Mutual, Otis Elevator, Procter & Gamble, Reynolds & Reynolds, Samaritan's Purse, Speedway and many more.
Representatives from the FBI, Navy Nuclear Program and Ohio Attorney General's office will also be on hand, as well as the University of Dayton, Northern Kentucky University, The Ohio State University, Wright State University and Xavier University.
“It’s becoming harder and harder to find opportunities to interact with representatives from a company with so much of the hiring process being done online,” said Jeff Reep, director of career services. “This is a great opportunity for our students and individuals from the community to meet and interact with a large number of organizations in one location.”
Cedarville has hosted career fairs on a regular basis for more than 20 years, which has been a main contributor to its strong job placement rates. Within six months of graduation, 96.8 percent of the class of 2014 found employment or were enrolled in graduate school, a number that is significantly higher than the national average. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the national average for six-month placement rates was 90.2 percent last year.
In addition to providing one-on-one time with recruiters at the career fair, students can have a free professional photo taken for their LinkedIn profile. Career services provides workshops throughout the year on how to best use LinkedIn to aid in career preparation and job searches. Several academic programs on campus require students to have a LinkedIn account.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,711 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and leading student satisfaction ratings.