Last summer senior David Collier earned an internship with University Directories, which trained him out of state and then put him in the position of local sales manager for the Ball State University Directory, or B-Book.
Collier first met the contacts for the internship at Ball State's annual sales job fair. This year Collier plans to attend the fair again and make contacts that could lead to his career after graduation.
The H.H. Gregg Center for Professional Selling at Ball State University will play host to the annual sales job fair from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday at the Ball State Alumni Center, H.H. Gregg Center director Ramon Avila said.
Almost 80 companies, including Hershey's, Enterprise Rent-a-car and Backyard Broadcasting, will attend the fair offering internships, full-time positions or part-time positions.
Although the fair is best suited for students interested in sales positions, Avila said companies offering positions in management training, insurance and financial planning also will attend. The fair provides good experience for students in any major who want to meet representatives of companies they might like to work for, he said.
Students are not asked to register for the fair beforehand, Avila said. Students can bring their ID cards and have a name tag made but are not required to bring anything else to the event. However, Avila suggested students should dress professionally and bring plenty of resumes. Some companies will begin scheduling interviews Tuesday, he said.
Although some students might be nervous about attending a job fair, Avila said that is the perfect reason for them to attend: The experience might help them become more comfortable with the situation.
Collier said he suggests nervous students do what he did and warm up by making contact with employers he was less interested in first so by the time he was comfortable, he could meet with the companies he really cared about.
"It is a great opportunity to get comfortable with talking to people with business experience in a professional way," Collier said. "It is also a chance for you to apply things that you have learned in your business classes."
The fair is in its 11th year and has grown steadily from welcoming 26 companies to almost 80 this year, Avila said. The growth, he said, can be attributed to the success Ball State students have had at companies in the past.
Collier said he thinks the number of companies involved in the fair should inspire confidence in students who plan to attend.
"Having that many companies so interested in Ball State students gives students a sense of pride in what we are being taught and who we are being taught by," Collier said.
Avila said in past years attendance for the fair has been between 300 and 400. He said he is expecting the same this year, so he stressed the importance of arriving early and considering carpooling or taking the shuttle to avoid searching for a parking space.
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