By Magdalene Michalik
Special to the Chronicle

Despite the tenuous economy and job situation in the United States, Hofstra students feel confident about being employed after graduation due to various resources the university provides,
These resources include events such as Wednesday’s Fall Job and Internship Fair, sponsored by The Hofstra University Career Center.
“Networking is key and Hofstra is the outlet,” said Cruickshank, who is enrolled in Hofstra’s Freshman Division University Studies.  “It’s scary because pretty soon we’re going to be competing with adults for decent jobs and careers.”
Employers as well as students find Hofstra’s Job and Internship fairs to be beneficial.  Robin Dillehay, Human Resoures Director at the Roosevelt Children’s Academy Charter School, has been attending Hofstra’s career fairs for approximately four years.
“50 percent of teachers we hire come from Hofstra,” Dillehay said. “It’s the school to be at.  That’s why we keep coming back. Go Hofstra!”
In addition, companies such as Target yield similar results.
“When I was a student, I was recruited at one of these fairs,” Ania Swinarski, a Target representative and alumna of Hofstra, said.
According to Swinarski, Target has recruited at least one student in each of the three years she has been working the career fairs.
“There is a lot of talent here,” Swinarski said. “From my experience, Hofstra definitely paves a smooth transition from student to employee.”
Students prefer the rather relaxed atmosphere of the career fair rather than traditional job searching techniques, such as applying online.
“I feel more comfortable because it’s less competitive in here than in the outside world,” said sophomore Bridget Magembe, a Community Health major.
The Fall Job and Internship fair is unique in that the employer pays attention to the student, rather than the student trying to get the attention of the employers, according to Fred Burke, Executive Director of The Hofstra University Career Center. This allows students to make stronger connections with their potential employers.
“It’s better to speak to someone face to face because you can visually and personally speak to someone and make connections that way,” said sophomore Maurisa Morris, an electrical engineering major.
The Hofstra University Career Center invites employers to the fair and then they sign up to attend, according to Burke.  At Wednesday’s career fair, over 50 booths had lines with students waiting to speak to these employers.
“There’s a lot of representatives here today,” said Magembe.  “I’m glad because that allows me to pretty much coast through a lot of possible careers.”
According to Burke, Magembe’s way of thinking is key.  He encourages students to think outside the box in terms of employment opportunities.
“The truth is that every company has a business, social media, human resources department, so even if it is not a company you would think you typically would go for, you may be surprised,” Burke said.
The Fall Job and Internship fair is one of many career fairs that occur at Hofstra each semester.
“It is a great way to network for full time, part time, and internship positions so all students should take advantage of these opportunities,” Burke said.