California State University, Stanislaus, (Stan State), hosted its annual Career Fair where students have the opportunity to explore employment options after college.
The event was well-received by many of the students who attended the fair, which was held in the event center on Mar. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We had an amazing event yesterday,” Career and Academic Adviser Arlene Burgess said “The students who came were dressed professionally and prepared to take advantage of the opportunity to speak to more than 50 employers in one place.”
The students were not the only ones delighted to take advantage of the opportunity to better themselves for their future careers; it appeared that employers were also enthusiastic to be in attendance and were more than happy to interact with the students.
One representative from Stanford’s University Department of Public Safety, Robert Contreras, gave students the opportunity to become more comfortable with potential employers and allowed students to become more well-informed of the company’s purpose.
For many students, it was their first time attending the event, and what they found gave them the confidence boost.
Jazmin Acevedo (senior, Business Administration) found out about the career fair through career services and thought the event was only for certain majors.
“Applying for state jobs and making good connections” was a bonus to attending the career fair that day, Acevedo said.
For Azlin Diaz (senior, Criminal Justice), another first time career fair attendee, the career fair did reach its goal of subscribing to a more diverse group of employers.
“I like seeing the different companies and variety,” Diaz said. “It helps us learn more about what else is out there in our area.”
Alejandra Baez (senior, Sociology), also had a positive experience for her first time attending the career fair stating that it did well displaying all of the “options that are out there”.
Stan State’s Career Fair hosted employers such as E. & J. Gallo Winery, Foster Farms, Novo Technologies, Safe Food Alliance, Stockton State Hospitals, Target and many more.
“It gives the opportunity to network with different people in different professions. It gives students options for after graduation. It shows the different jobs you didn’t even know existed,” Elizabeth Zafra (senior, Psychology) said.
Zafra has been attending Stan State’s career fair for the past four years and has already benefitted from coming to the event.  
“I have an internship working for a center for human services company, and it helps me get affiliated with other social worker companies in the career fair,” Zafra said.
The career fair has helped her step out of her comfort zone and develop interview skills that are vital for just-graduated students. Zafra encourages other students to attend future career fairs in order to take advantage of the many opportunities that come from the annual event.
Though the career fair may be over, there are still workshops and events hosted on Stan State’s campus that extend from Mar. 15 to May 9. You can R.S.V.P by emailing [email protected] by the deadline dates.
For more information on what the Career Services offer, go here.