J.R. Maxfield, assistant vice president of talent acquisition with Safety National, speaks with junior Jeremy Ringkamp about opportunities with the company during the Spring Career Fair at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. (Photos by Derik Holtmann)
University of Missouri–St. Louis students and alumni roamed the lobby of the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center Friday morning ready to impress potential employers at the Spring Career Fair.
They came to the annual event prepared with practiced elevator pitches, stacks of printed resumes and professional attire. However, junior Sasha Green, a dual information systems and technology and English major, took her preparation one step further.
Green reviewed the list of employers attending the fair and researched which companies were actively advertising internships on their career webpages. Before she even stepped foot into the Touhill, she had already applied to an IT internship focused on advanced analytics with Safety National, a leading specialty insurance and reinsurance provider based in the St. Louis region.
“I just wanted to introduce myself,” Green said. “I did some more research about Safety National, and I have a cover letter for them. I liked how clear they outlined everything. I think the more clear a company is, the more I can see myself actually going to work with them. I like having clear definitions of everything.”
The extra work paid dividends for Green. J.R. Maxfield, assistant vice president of talent acquisition with Safety National, was impressed with Green’s determination and said he would work to get her an interview for the internship.
“I mean, that’s a great start,” Green said.
Noel Sinco, a junior majoring in business administration, also primed himself for the event by researching potential employers. In the past, Sinco said he would prepare one general elevator pitch, but this time he used Handshake, a free digital employment platform, to create tailored pitches for each of the companies on his list.
In addition to the new approach, Sinco took another novel step to fortify himself for a morning of conversation.
“I chugged a big can of Red Bull earlier,” he said with a grin.
Green and Sinco were just two of more than 350 UMSL students and recent graduates who attended the event hosted by UMSL Career Services. More than 250 representatives from 76 employers took advantage of the opportunity to connect with attendees face-to-face. The list of companies on hand included regional leaders – Ameren, Edward Jones, Enterprise Mobility and Spire – as well as firms in fields ranging from biosciences to financial services to marketing.
Sinco has plenty of experience and practical skills on his resume. He previously worked as a software engineer but soon realized that path wasn’t for him. He decided to go back to school, enrolling in the Ed G. Smith College of Business to develop the tools necessary to change careers.
James Purnell and Lexi Stewart, account managers with Aerotek, talk with Holly Smith, a senior majoring in business administration with an emphasis in finance.
Friday’s event presented a chance to potentially gain more industry-specific experience. Sinco was especially excited to speak with representatives from St. Louis CITY SC and St. Louis Public Radio, but he was willing to take advantage of any other opportunities that came along.
“I’m here looking primarily for a business administration role, a communications role or a marketing role,” Sinco said. “But I might also be open to something like a product manager, someone that understands the tech product, and then can market it toward their clients.”
While Sinco endeavored to enter a new field, Holly Smith, a senior majoring in business administration with an emphasis in finance, worked on securing her first internship. Like many UMSL students, Smith has worked while pursuing her degree. For three years, she’s been employed at Starbucks, where she’s sharpened her interpersonal communication and teamwork skills.
However, Smith hoped to bolster her professional experience in the finance field to prepare for graduation in August.
“I’m really interested in financial analyst roles,” she said. “I’m interested in anything dealing with data analytics. I’m also interested in auditing. I’m really just open and exploring my options.”
One of those options turned out to be Aerotek, a recruiting and staffing agency that supports manufacturing and distribution facilities. Smith spoke to financial firms including Edward Jones and Northwestern Mutual, but Aerotek piqued her interest. UMSL alum Lexi Stewart was in attendance representing the company, where she serves as an account manager.
Stewart, who graduated from UMSL several years ago with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, was recruiting primarily for sales positions, but she noted that people from all academic backgrounds can succeed at Aerotek.
“A good attitude goes a really long way,” Stewart said. “We are a sales company, so being in sales, resilience is a really strong attribute to have. An ideal candidate is someone that’s been in a position where they’ve been told no and they have to maintain optimism.”
Meanwhile, Andy Karcher, a manager in the internal audit division at Spire, was trying to fill engineering, finance and IT roles. Karcher also stressed the importance of interpersonal and practical skills at the natural gas provider.
Abdelraouf Afaneh, a sophomore civil engineering major, speaks with Andy Karcher, an audit manager with Spire. Karcher said engineering roles are typically a recruiting focus for the company.
“The big thing we really like to look for is soft skills,” Karcher said. “We need that good technical foundation. But the things that we really want to see that will make a candidate stand out are good communication skills, good analytical thinking and the ability to manage time. All of those key soft skills will really help to set someone apart from the rest of the students.”
Friday marked Karcher’s third time attending a career fair at UMSL, and as usual, he was impressed with the operation, from the dedicated students and staff to the venue.
“I do quite a few of these a year, and UMSL’s fairs always impress,” he said. “I actually saw an UMSL staff member helping a student with their wardrobe, which is a huge credit to the university that it’s taking that much personal care of its students.”
As Smith wrapped up her time at the fair, she was optimistic about her prospects.
“The experience has been great,” Smith said. “I’m glad that I came. I’m glad that I’m making conversation, asking questions. I’m glad that I’m just here to learn and get more exposure to different companies.”
