Students were given the opportunity to meet more than 40 different employers and recruiters this past Thursday at Sonoma State University’s Career Fair. 

Employers such as Korbel Champagne Cellars, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Sonoma Canopy Tours joined the fair, providing students with information about what their company does. Some companies offered internships, jobs and informational interviews according to Career Services. Workshops were hosted by Career Services for several weeks in advance  before the career fair took place. From helping students improve their elevator speech and resume to preparing them when talking with employers. 

“Career Fair workshops have a long history here at Sonoma State,” said Heather Martin, the interim Lead Career Coordinator for Career Services. “We believe in giving our students the biggest advantage possible at the career fair and our workshops are just a part of that process.” 

The workshops had a high turnout with over 50 students attending. The Resume Fest was their best workshop, according to Martin, where students could get advice from professionals on their individual resumes. 

Becky Young, the interim Career Coordinator for Career Services, contacted human resources recruiters and used them to her advantage to provide students with the right information. Martin and Young both worked together with Career Services to plan and create the event along with two of their student staff since January to coordinate the event and reach out to local businesses in the area who were more than excited to recruit SSU students.

“I went through the school of Business and Economics department  here at Sonoma State,” said Chrissy Nelson, senior human resources representative at Korbel Champagne Cellars. ”Staying connected with Sonoma State means a lot to me personally and then also for Korbel in general since the owner, Gary Heck, has been a benefactor and chairman for the Wine Business Institute.” 

“We chose to participate because we are always looking for new people and  it’s always good to have people with new experiences and backgrounds,” said Lauren Sniffin an intern at Health and Commerce.

“We are a local employer, so we like to ensure that we are dipping into local talent and sharing of up and coming businesses,” said Christina Johnson, a recruiter at ExecRanks. “It was really important for us to be able to represent what we have to students in accessible areas.”  

According to Martin the event had more than 800 students in attendance. The fair has been continuously held at the university for the past five years and the staff who worked on the event hope to continue it for the upcoming years. 

“We hope that students can start to build their professional network now and that ultimately our students can find summer jobs, internships and full-time jobs,” said Martin. “We hope that all of the students who attended the fair are better able to understand the demands of the work world and can become successful Seawolves once they graduate.”