The University’s Career Center hosted a part-time job fair Tuesday afternoon. Held in the Illini Union, the fair was designed to connect students with part-time work and other opportunities in the greater Champaign-Urbana area.
Twenty-eight employers attended the fair, and while students were not required to sign up, 1,200 preregistered for the event. However, according to workers at the event, within the first couple of hours, it was clear the actual number of students greatly exceeded 1,200.
One of these students was Arnav Aggarwal, sophomore in LAS, who attended the event to build his resume and explore opportunities.
“I’m looking for part-time work, just something casual to make money and get some experience from,” Aggarwal said.
Of the 28 employers, around half were opportunities through the University, while the other half were private companies around the C-U area. University positions included jobs in Campus Recreation, Human Resources and Student Affairs. Some of the private companies included FedEx and First Federal Bank.
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Aggarwal, who had attended job fairs before, appreciated the wide array of opportunities the event presented.
“There are companies here that I probably would never have otherwise known about … First Bank and Greenix were the ones that stuck out to me,” Aggarwal stated.
For the majority of jobs at the fair, previous experience was not required. Instead, employers emphasized some common personality traits, such as the ability to communicate, sincerity and a proactive attitude as being invaluable for students who are looking to get hired.
For students who missed the event, a link can be found here for future career fairs.