Career fair hosts employers for potential hires

More than 80 employers represented their companies hoping to recruit potential hires during the FMU Career Fair, which took place on Tuesday, March 29, in the Smith University Center (UC) Commons and gym. 

“It is a great opportunity for students to get experience, learn life skills and confidence in speaking with employers about themselves and feel comfortable enough to ask questions and answer them as well,” said Will Carswell, FMU director of the Career Center.  

The students had plenty of opportunities to find different careers and internships. Students who have never had a job, were interested in internships or were hoping to find a career had the opportunity to gain social and professional experience.  

“This experience is something that you are not able to get anywhere else,” Carswell said. “For instance, if you go into an interview, then everything you are doing is being judged. Here, you can make mistakes and not be judged so harshly. That is why it is important to come to our career fair.”  

Among the companies that attended were ACS Technologies (ACST) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).   

           “I truly believe that everyone that works at ACS Technologies is just like one big family,” said Vivian Bunn, an HR representative for ACST. “The culture is great, and everyone is super welcoming, super inviting and very helpful.”   

ACST is a remote, work-from-anywhere software company that sells its products to churches and nonprofit organizations. They are looking for computer science majors, graphic design majors and marketing majors for their in-house marketing department. The company also needs more salespeople.   

With different goals than ACST, the FBI recruiter looked to find students wanting a career with a purpose.   

“The FBI is a company for those that want to serve their countries and work towards the greater good,” said Carl Cuneo, an FBI agent assigned to the South Carolina division and the applicant coordinator and recruiter for the FBI within the state.   

The FBI hires people from all backgrounds, holding much diversity in academic interests and majors. With over 40,000 employees and offices all over the country, along with an international presence, there are 1,600 different job classifications in the FBI, ranging from communications to engineering and criminal investigations. 

 With 84 different companies in attendance, including school districts, banks and healthcare companies, to name a few, students were able to explore potential career paths related to their majors. Getting comfortable talking with an employer can help build confidence and widen the range of knowledge necessary for the job search process.    

For more information about ACST and their jobs, students may visit www.acstechnologies.com/company/careers/ or call 800-736-7425. To determine eligibility for the various employment programs within the FBI, students may also visit www.fbijobs.gov for more information.   

Further information about future career fairs at FMU can be found at https://www.fmarion.edu/careercenter/.