Career Services will be hosting several events during its Career Week starting on Sept. 10 to help students prepare for the Job and Internship Fair on Sept. 20.

The events will be in Room 1301 of the Human Services Center, and the Job and Internship Fair will be from 12 to 4 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

On Monday students will learn how to research the employers that will be at the job fair from 12 to 1 p.m. in Room 1301 of the Human Services Center.

According to the Career Services’ website, students will “learn how to research employers, what to look for and how to use this critical knowledge to (the student’s) advantage.

Reservations are required for the event and can be made at 217-581-2412 or at the Career Services’ website (https://www.eiu.edu/careers/jifair_workshops.php).

A Resume Review Blitz will be on Tuesday, Sept. 17, where students can get 15-minute resume reviews by Career Services counselors from 1 to 4 p.m. both days.

Diane Smith, an Eastern marketing specialist and career advisor at Career Services, said students do not need to make a reservation for the Resume Review Blitz.

On Wednesday students can build their interview confidence from 4 to 5 p.m. and “learn how to find strengths and overlooked abilities and how to relate these to employers,” according to the website.

Then on Thursday students can participate in the Mock Interview Day with Employers from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Smith said preparing for an interview is important.

“This is something that is typically quite critical where you don’t want to just walk up to an employer and say, ‘Well what do you do,” she said. “You want to come up with that knowledge that you have researched that employer and what their mission is, what kind of jobs they have available and so forth.”

Lisa Hug, an office systems assistant at Career Services, said, employers that will be at the Job and Internship Fair will also be conducting the interviews.

Reservations are required for Wednesday’s event and the mock interviews and can be made by calling 217-581-2412.

Smith said the events were chosen because they are the things that employers have indicated as the most critical need for students.

“What better way to do it than in a non-threatening situation before you get out into that job market,” Smith said.

Smith said she believes Career Services is important for students because it prepares them for the workforce.

Smith also said she believes all students should attend, no matter what year they are in school.

“By the time you are a senior, it is going to be a lot easier…you have all of these skills ready to go,” Smith said.

Hug said the main focus for Career Services and for the week of events is professional development.

“Everything you need to help you apply for the job you want. Even if you’re undecided, we have what is called a focus to assessment program. It is basically a test that students can take on our website and it will help them, and our counselors and advisors steer them in a direction. It will assess their interests,” she said.

Smith recommended that students who are not able to make it to the sessions should visit the website.

“We do have a list of employers already listed that are coming to the job fair. They can research those employers, look at their websites. We also have tutorials online that they can check out on job searching, resume writing, interviewing and so forth. If they can at all possible, I highly recommend that they come in and take advantage” Smith said.

This week’s events are available for all students. To see the full list of events visit https://www.eiu.edu/careers/jifair_workshops.php.

Karena Ozier can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].