Career Fair Breaks Attendance Record — Again!

The Career Fair on Nov. 13 in the Restall Sports Center, with 130 registered vendors, set a new record that can’t be beat.

“The room was completely full; there is no place to put more vendors,” said Margaret “Weemie” Kingham. “This is a nice problem, though. There were 130 companies that are interested in hiring our 75 seniors.”

Kingham said the record-breaking attendance was because the economy is strong and that word of the excellence of Williamson’s graduates continues to spread.

“Companies came from across the country and as far away as California. They want to hire our seniors and offer internships to our underclassmen. This is proof that we are doing something right in our approach to education.”

Chris Moyer 0W0, founder, president, and CEO, of SME Solutions Group, Inc., headquartered in Tampa, FL, who in September became the newest member of Williamson’s board of trustees, was there manning his company’s booth.

In addition to companies representing the trades, several colleges and universities and the Pennsylvania National Guard were on hand.

Kingham said that all of the companies have positions they were seeking to fill. “There were oodles of opportunity for our students. It was up to the students to choose which companies to pursue. For the most part, this was a fact-finding endeavor for the students. They will be more serious about finding employment at the February fair.”

She added that she heard many comments from the vendors about how well prepared the students were. They did a good job of researching the companies beforehand and knew which companies they were interested in learning more about.

The number of alumni representing their companies was also overwhelming, Kingham said. “I don’t know the number, but there were more alumni here than ever before. I think employers realize that the students enjoy meeting with alumni because they understand what student life is like.”

The fair lasted all morning and in the afternoon 21 companies made presentations to students who wanted more detail about opportunities.

Despite the large attendance, the fair went off without a hitch, with 11 students helping with the setup and tear down and many others helping in a variety of ways.

Kingham said she was especially grateful for the help of long-time volunteer Joyce Decker, who worked the student registration table, and Kevin Welde 9W7, Josh Wilwert 0W8, Alex Wilwert 1W6, and Frank Sammons 0W2, who volunteered to assist with registering alumni and meeting and greeting the many alumni recruiters, business representatives, and students. Members of Williamson’s Auxiliary were also on hand selling coffee and baked goods.

The next Career Fair will be February 12 from 8 a.m. to 11:30 in the Restall Sports Center. Anyone interested in more details should contact Kingham at 610-566-1776, ext. 247 or mkingham@williamson.edu. Kingham stresses that alumni seeking employment are always welcome.