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Opportunities Abound at In-Person and Virtual Career Fair Venues

UMUC Career Services brought together 82 employers and more than 1,800 students and alumni in March at its in-person and virtual 2019 Career Fair events. Through this annual career offering, members of the UMUC community had the opportunity to discuss nearly 25,000 job openings with hiring managers in a wealth of in-demand career fields including cybersecurity, IT, healthcare administration, finance and accounting.

Two ways to connect

An in-person career fair was held on March 7 at the College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Hyattsville, Maryland, and drew a crowd of 638 career hopefuls. Hiring companies in attendance included Amazon Web Services, CareFirst Blue Cross, Edward Jones, General Dynamics IT, the CIA, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

During the in-person event, attendees and recruiters had the opportunity to exchange resumes, business cards and contact information by using the ScanShake mobile app.

“This is the second year we’ve used this tool, which allows students and alumni to access tips to prepare for the fair, a list of participating employers, the open jobs they were looking to fill and directions to the event,” explained Francine Blume, UMUC’s assistant vice president of career development.

The ScanShake app also enabled job-seekers to populate their profiles with personalized information, including their resume, LinkedIn profile and photo. When meeting with potential employers, candidates could present their unique QR codes for employers to scan and save their information on the spot. Employers at the event could use this same app to exchange their contact information with each other to build their own networks, too.

The virtual career fair, held online on March 14, connected prospective employers with more than 1,100 UMUC alumni and students from across the country and overseas. Students and alumni had the opportunity to chat virtually with a wide range of employers, including Hilton, General Dynamics Mission Systems, MedStar, and the U.S. Secret Service.

At the event, recruiters were able to select resumes and initiate private chats with attendees based on their qualifications. Some recruiters identified strong candidates through sorting resumes and, as a result, scheduled follow-up interviews with candidates.

“The UMUC Career Services team will continue to track success from the in-person and online events,” Blume noted. “We will use this data to connect more students and alumni with employers that have opportunities that match their unique skills sets.”

The 2019 Spring Career Fair was made possible by the support of employers and the community including GCubed, Inc., Silotech Group, Inc., Fastenal Company, and UMUC ventures HelioCampus and AccelerEd.

“I am always impressed by UMUC candidates, and this event was no different,” said Wendy Maurer, COO at event sponsor GCubed, Inc. “We always appreciate the support of the staff and quality of the students we find at the UMUC career fair.”

For more information about UMUC’s suite of career resources visit UMUC career services.