Taylor King, left, of BMW discussed the types of internships available with Lander student Andrea Martinez. Photo by Karen Petit.
That important first job often starts with an internship, taking advantage of professional development opportunities and networking with potential employers.
Lander University’s Spring Career Fair brought more than 250 students together with 50 employers to learn about internships and potential jobs and give them individual interaction with human resource personnel and job recruiters. The event featured potential employers representing healthcare, education, business and industry, and city and county governments, as well as law enforcement and social service organizations.
Casey Cline, director of workforce and career development at Lander, said, “The career fair is one piece of the puzzle to help students prepare for the workforce. They can network with potential employers and learn about openings in their chosen career fields. Hopefully, they will find internships or professional jobs. This is about helping our students find successful and meaningful careers.”
Nearly 160 students took advantage of an opportunity to have free, professional headshots taken via PopCam, which Cline described as “state-of-the-art technology that uses artificial intelligence to transfer specific backgrounds of a student’s preference. Then, a person selects the photo they like best, and it’s emailed to them at no cost.”
Among the career fair participants were businesses from Lander’s Corporate Partners Program, established by Lander’s College of Graduate and Online Studies. Through this program, employees of a participating corporate partner can earn bachelor’s or master’s degrees through online classes and have reduced tuition fees.
Taylor King, recruiting lead of BMW, a corporate partner with Lander, said the career fair gives the international automaker a chance to meet students, discuss the company with them and learn more about the student’s individual goals.
King, who is pursuing a master’s degree through Lander’s College of Graduate and Online studies, said the decision for BMW to attend a career fair is based on whether an institution offers a relevant degree program, such as business, and has proximity to BMW and South Carolina.
“Our goal is to hire full-time employees. I’ve talked to students today about our internship program and the types of jobs available for their future,” King said. “We want them to gain experience with our company and stay long term with BMW.”