The purpose of holding a job fair as our community project was to connect social service agencies with perspective employees who are graduating students. We hope to target majors in the Liberal Arts and Science fields, community members and any other interested students at Chico State. The fair was held April 6, 2001 from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. in Shurmer Gym. The title of the event was the Annual Liberal Arts and Sciences Career Fair.
Statement of Need
The Career Planning and Placement Office and our group collaborated efforts to provide a successful and well-publicized event. The immediate need was to publicize the event.
We accomplished this by:
Description of the Intervention
In the beginning of the spring semester of 2001, Rick Thompson and Sheri Reece teamed up to plan a Social Service Career Fair. In the weeks following, the "group" grew adding several new members. Since then, nine of us have been working collaboratively to create a successful community project.
The Annual Liberal Arts and Sciences Career fair planning began early Fall Semester. The Career
Planning and Placement's fair coordinator of the Liberal Arts and Sciences Fair had already contacted many agencies and had received confirmations on their attendance. Shurmer Gym was also reserved in the fall semester.
In meeting with the coordinator of the fair, we were informed that she needed assistance in specific areas such as publicity, distribution of flyers, ushering vendors to their designated tables, and parking. She invited us to combine our community project with hers, since another similar fair just a month later would not do any good.
Evaluation of the Intervention
In the beginning process of following the original community project plan, that is contacting employers to attend the career fair, a problem arose. We found that a similar fair was going to be sponsored by the CSU, Chico Career Planning and Placement Office.
Although we changed our original plan and began working with the Career Center, our group was very successful and productive in completing the project. We helped many people find agencies and answered questions, as well as assisted the agencies that were present.
Over forty agencies were present in professional areas such as Criminal Justice, State Parks and Immigration and Naturalization, to Social services fields were represented from many California geographical areas including San Jose, Santa Clara, and our very own Butte county. Around 200 perspective employers came to the career fair.
Reflections on the Project
As we looked back to evaluate our project we found that there were many fundamental parts that we would have liked to modify or at least amend. The one thing that was brought up by all group members was the fact that this project began in the spring semester, unlike most projects that began in the fall semester. Participation and organization was important, yet our primary goal was to become an effective working group. It is important to understand that all members were coming in from different projects and joining the group at different times. It was difficult at first to create the beginning of our project, and then again to change it when we found that we would be joining ranks with the Career Planning Office.
There were many set backs, one being that the day of the event was set on a Friday. We knew that in our own major, Fridays are internship days as wells as days that people may leave for the weekend. Two weeks before our career fair event, there were two other career fairs. On the actual day of our event, there was another career fair going on at another university location. We also found that the flyers, which we thought were great flyers, did not specify agencies that were attending, thus may have been confusing for some students. The flyers that the groups posted up prior to the actual event were supposed to be up for two weeks were taken down after the first week. The weather was another set back for it was both very cold and wet. It was not an ideal day for a career fair.
Our group thought the event was rather successful, but unfortunately we have little to compare it to because most of the group members had never been to a career fair. We met every week for two months prior to the fair and we feel that our group came together rather well. The coordinator from the career center expressed that we were very helpful and she stated she was extremely grateful and she related that she hopes another group can help with this fair this coming school year. We worked collaboratively and productively toward our event and feel that it was great experience as well as a fund-raiser. In helping direct traffic and parking the group decided to donate the $200 we earned to the social work club.
Overall we would highly recommend this project for another group. We would also encourage the next group to begin earlier in the fall semester and participate in the earlier stages of planning of this particular event.
References
Career Planning and Placement Office, MLIB 150, California State University, Chico
http://www.socialservice.com/web/states/ca/ca_job.htm
- One of the many California's home page for non-profit, profit agency employment.
http://www.dss.cahwnet.gov/default.htm
- This web site will lead you to the California State's Department of Social Services. There are many studies on programs, employment opportunities and the "need" for educated people in the social service fields.
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