Mesa held Career Week from April 8-11 to help with aspects of transitioning into job fields that may be overwhelming to students. Stepping out into the real world and finding a job or internship can be quite intimidating for anyone, whether it’s putting together a resume, finding the right clothes for an interview, or finding places to apply.
That Monday at the Mesa Commons, there was a resume event that allowed students the opportunity to have someone look over their resume and offer tips for standing out to an employer. For students who didn’t have a resume yet, they were also there to help with the process of starting a resume which can also be the most challenging part. There was also a free professional clothing tent provided by The Stand, which is a service at Mesa that gives students access to free professional clothing and food to help the students succeed in and out of the classroom. If you missed out on the some free professional clothing during Career Week, The Stand is always available to all students, and is located in I4-205 on the second floor of the Student Services building.
On Tuesday in the LRC there was a “How to Succeed at a Job & Internship Fair Employer Panel,” in which professional panelists talked about how their experiences in findings internships at job and internship fairs on their college campuses. These speakers also spoke about what they have learned employers are looking for over the years of being in the job hunting field. Luke Nora, system and test engineer, from Booz Allen Hamilton said, “If you meet a recruiter ask for their business card and send them an email a day or later, I called the guy and talked to him for another 30 minutes, and that’s how I got the job at Booz Allen.” They spoke about the importance of making an image for yourself. These companies receive thousands of applications a day, if you want to be apart of the company you need to set yourself apart from the other applicants. Moses Pittman, a manufacturing Engineer at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, talked about the importance of your GPA. He said, “I know General Atomics looks at your GPA, so make sure your GPA is up there.” He added, “When I applied it was above 3.0. This is a good starting point, but above 3.0 is better.” When applying for an internship, the speakers said, it is probably good to include your GPA but after that when applying for a job it is not typically required.
Then following the Employer Panel, on Wednesday the Internship Fair took place by the Mesa Commons where students were able to talk to recruiters that were with different organizations. Students were able to bring copies of their resumes to give to the recruiters in hopes of securing an internship. On Thursday there was a Job Fair at the Mesa Commons where many different businesses had booths where students could talk to recruiters. At the Job Fair there were business from all over San Diego looking for students to work for them. Some of the companies which attended were San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, Lyft, T-Mobile, Chicken Charlie’s, YMCA, Rady Children’s Hospital, the San Diego Convention Center, and many more. Students requiring some extra guidance, stop by the Career Center on the third floor of the Student Services building, in I4-306.
