The Baruch College’s biyearly undergraduate career fair took place on Sept. 20 on campus in the main and auxiliary gym with over 80 employers attending. The fair gives Baruch students the opportunity to talk to recruiters face-to-face and sometimes secure an internship or job.
Bigger companies such as WeWork and Bloomberg were present at the fair, but there were also many local companies such as Homieland Realty Inc.
Even without receiving any employment opportunities, the Baruch career fair is a notable networking opportunity allowing students to directly interact with workers and recruiters from companies and being able to exchange business cards.
Some students, however, expressed their frustration with the lack of presence of investment companies. Shai Sabag, a Baruch senior majoring in finance and investments, mentioned that he would have liked to see firms like JPMorgan Chase & Co. and The Goldman Sachs Group attending the fair. In the previous career fair, Sabag stated that he was able to go through multiple rounds of interviews with TD Bank, proving that there is opportunity within Baruch.
He described Baruch as being “reputable in New York City, especially in the financial sector and Wall Street. You pay a fraction of the cost compared to schools like NYU and Columbia with the same results.” MD Squared Property Group’s company representative, Stacey Kwiatkoski, described the company’s previous experience with the Baruch career fair saying, “As a property management firm, MD Squared Property Group finds quality students to be quality employees with our company. We have employed five to six Baruch students; all but one still work with our company.”
Certain companies usually have more time to talk to each student, while others have an extremely competitive recruitment which makes it difficult for students to show their true potential.
Companies like Bank of America Corp. had lines that went across the entire gym this year and making a quick pitch to stand out amongs hundreds of students was not ideal.
Recruiters had only two minutes to make a quick assessment, leaving another two minutes to students to somehow stand out and not be lost in the sea of resumes.
Some students found it unfair that there is an entire career fair dedicated to accounting, but not for finance, with Baruch having a large population in both majors.
Many students from the Zicklin School of Business were looking for opportunities to go into investment banking or wealth management, and there were simply not enough companies offering opportunities in those areas.
The fair itself was also very limiting for students in the Weissman School of Arts and the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, as most of the companies were recruiting for business or sales positions.
Therefore, there were more Zicklin students at the fair than Weissman and Marxe. This might be an issue that the organizers can take into account for upcoming career fairs. STARR Career Development Center was in charge of the organization of the event. Baruch senior and marketing management major Mario Tzalan described the fair as “a good setup, definitely organized.” He did mention that it was a bit overwhelming, especially as a newcomer, but the staff from STARR helped any students who needed assistance.
During the weeks leading up to the career fair, there were various workshops scheduled to help students practice networking and creating a quick elevator pitch. STARR also offers resume and cover letter workshops that many students take advantage of, especially before the career fair.
Doing research about the companies before talking to them, bringing a pile of resumes, dressing professionally and practicing an effective elevator pitch are considered to be the most important things for students to focus on before stepping into the overwhelming atmosphere of the fair.
The next career fair will not be until the Spring semester of 2020, but preparation and research remain the keys to success.
