The Chronicle 18-19 Issue 03

14 The Chronicle February 26 - March 18, 2019 chronicle.durhamcollege.ca Campus
Photograph by Keisha Slemensky
A student talks with an employer at a booth for Princeton Review at the job fair at DC and UOIT on Feb. 5.
DC, UOIT brings employers to students
Keisha Slemensky
The Chronicle
The doors to the Job Fair at Durham
College (DC) and UOIT
opened at 11 a.m. on Tuesday,
welcoming students to about 70
booths hosted by employers hiring
for part and full-time jobs. There
was a steady stream of students
coming and going throughout the
entire event.
DC and UOIT students filed in
and out, dressed in their most professional
outfits.
Alexandra Carson, 20 is in the
social service worker program. She
was one of the hundreds of students
who attended.
Carson says she has attended
job fairs before but was pleased to
see there was a lot of space in the
booths to talk to employers.
“As students, you don’t really
know where to start looking for
jobs. It’s hard to get your foot in,”
says Carson. She says the event was
good for students looking for work
when they graduate as well as parttime
positions. This marks the 22nd
year this job fair has been hosted at
Durham College and UOIT.
Devon Turcotte is the outreach
coordinator in the Career Development
and Co-operative Education
office. She has worked at Durham
College for seven years and has
been in the Career Development
office for two-and-a-half years. She
says she has noticed considerable
growth in the event.
Turcotte says the job fair is a
good way for students to conquer a
possibly scary concept: networking.
“Networking is a word that scares
a lot of people and it doesn’t have to
be scary,” says Turcotte.
She says finding a job is about
meeting people, communicating
effectively and developing relationships.
“The job fair is a good opportunity
for students and alumni to
engage in real conversations with
24
HOURS
DC UOIT
employers,” says Turcotte.
Upon entering the doors to the
gym students were greeted with a
entry form and a name tag. Once
registered, students were free to
browse employer booths. A wide
variety of employers attended this
year including businesses like Bell,
YMCA, Flanagan Food Service
and York Regional Police.
Some booths were manned by
students as well like the Princeton
Review that helps students with
standardized testing.
Many services were offered to
students such as the opportunity to
meet alumni. Career Development
student representatives were available
to answer questions and take
professional head shot photos for
students with their own cameras.
For students who weren’t able to
make the event or would like more
information, Turcotte says the Career
Development office located
is the Student Services Building
in SSB212 .It offers services like
mock interviews and one-on-one
appointments to help students with
resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn
and portfolios.
Online resources are also available
at hired.durhamcollege.ca.
Turcotte says a good practice is
to search on LinkedIn for people
working where you are interested
in and contact them. She says as
awkward as it is at first, the more
you practice networking, the easier
it gets.
Alexandra Carson, 20, attending the job fair.
Devon Turcotte, outreach coordinator in the Career Development office.
Photograph by Keisha Slemensky
Photograph by Keisha Slemensky