More Job Openings at this Summer's Career and Networking Expo

Rasmussen College recently wrapped up another successful Career and Networking Expo. Nearly 2,700 job seekers and employers came out on August 16, 2012 across Rasmussen College’s 22 campuses. The Ocala campus had the biggest turnout with 316 students, graduates, employers and community members, followed by the Rockford campus with 260 attendees. Overall, attendance was up two percent from a year ago thanks to a strong showing from the community.

“We had a great turnout,” said Anne Sumangil, Director of Alumni Relations at Rasmussen College. “Community attendance was up 17 percent. The number of employers that participated in our career expo also went up 17 percent.” Not only were there more employers, but the number of job openings grew significantly, which Sumangil says is a sign of the times.

“I was very impressed with the number of employers that had active job openings,” said Sumangil. “The job market is starting to turn around, and employers are looking to hire right away.” Nearly 150 people stopped by the career expo at the Lake Elmo/Woodbury campus. Career Services Advisor, Christine Karel also noticed a higher number of available jobs.

“We saw a huge increase,” said Karel. “Hennepin County Medical Center alone is actively hiring for 17 different positions. I had employers come back to me the next week with more job openings to pass on to graduates.” Rasmussen College won’t have final job placement numbers until the end of September, but at least six students have been hired so far. That number is expected to grow as nearly 60 percent of participating employers say they plan to interview someone they met at the career expo.

For the first time, this summer’s career expo also offered LinkedIn training. Rasmussen College helped a total of 80 people build or improve their profiles. Jamie Hufford, Career Services Advisor at the Fort Myers campus says she’s getting great feedback.

“Community members say they’ve never been to a career expo like this one before,” said Hufford. “They were pumped to get LinkedIn training, as well as resume and networking tips all in one place.” The Bloomington campus also held a speed networking event. It was so successful the campus is planning to start a bi-monthly networking event series.

Rasmussen College is already planning for its next Career and Networking Expo in February, including finding new ways to prepare and engage students, graduates and community members in landing a job. Make sure you’re prepared for your next career expo. You can find several articles related to resume writing, interviewing and networking on the Rasmussen College Career Services Blog.