Marketing students at the Naveen Jindal School of Management recently got a chance to turn the tables on employers at a reverse career fair.
Sponsored by Texas Instruments and presented by the Jindal School’s Career Management Center (CMC), the event was held Nov. 16 in the Executive Dining Room. Students got a taste of what it would be like to set up and operate a booth at a regular career fair or trade show. But, instead of hawking products or services, they got a chance to sell employers on their personal brands, skills, and qualifications. The goal for most of the students was to land a job or an internship. Some were just looking for a chance to network or practice elevator pitches.
“I think reverse career fairs are very effective and creative,” said senior marketing student Kelsey Middlekoop. “It takes a little pressure off of us as students. It gives us the ability to be creative and to really take the time to talk to recruiters versus being questioned all the time, which can be intimidating.”
Examples of that creativity included Middlekoop’s exhibit that featured a quadcopter unmanned aerial vehicle — better known as a drone — that she built while interning at an aircraft company. Marketing and global business senior Manasi Shinde explored a Monopoly theme, while marketing sophomore Mackenzie Glava presented a theater-themed display.
Representatives from The Dallas Marketing Group, the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Instruments, Essilor and the Glass Doctor attended the event looking to hire students or fill internships for the spring 2017 semester.
Michael Egan, senior vice president of The Dallas Marketing Group and member of JSOM’s General Marketing Program Advisory Board, attended the event in part to see the fruits of his labor.
“This event is actually a result of some feedback we gave,” he said. “One of the things missing from students is the ability to articulate their point of view. Reverse career fairs give students the opportunity to display their understanding of their discipline, ambitions, and goals. I think it’s a terrific idea.”
Shinde reiterated Egan’s point. She said that reverse career fairs give job seekers an opportunity to differentiate themselves from other candidates rather than just hand employers a résumé and a business card.
“I really like the whole concept,” she said. “Since I’m a marketing major, creativity is a big component. By setting up a booth, I got to explore different themes and come up with one that set me apart.”
The format of the event appeals to employer representatives like Craig Zurek, director of media development and sales for the Dallas Cowboys and member of the General Marketing Program Advisory Board.
“I love it,” he said. “Rather than sitting down and trying to figure out what somebody is from an interview, you get to figure them out from the work they do.”
Julie Haworth, undergraduate marketing program director, worked with the CMC to put the event together. What struck her the most about it was how much she was able to learn about her own students outside the classroom.
“I know them, but to be able to learn in-depth more about their talents, activities, where they worked or what awards they had won, I just enjoy that,” she said. “And the reverse career format is great because they just keep improving with every new person that comes and talks to them. They start crystallizing their story, what they represent, and what they can bring to the party.”
Amy Forse, employer relations coordinator for the CMC, attended the event and was impressed by the creativity the students used to set up their displays.
“They’re all marketing majors, but they all have different areas of marketing they’re interested in,” Forse said. “So it’s been really neat for me to go around and see what they’re most interested in doing, where they would like their career path to go and how they incorporate that into their displays.”
Ahu Bigbee, MBA’11, attended the event representing Essilor as a senior associate marketing manager for key accounts, strategies, and solutions. She was looking for an intern for the Spring 2017 semester and said she found some promising candidates at the fair.
“I’m so glad I was here,” she said. “We’ve been recruiting from different schools and have not been to any events like this. It is a very important component of the program since it helps marketing majors market themselves. For employers, it helps us understand the candidates better. They should definitely continue doing these kinds of events.”
