“The mission of the O’Brien Center is to help our students realize and achieve their professional goals,” said interim Executive Director Courtney Luongo.
Nearly 300 students and 96 companies took part in the career fair. Each of the companies had jobs, internships or coops available, so there were legitimate employment opportunities, Luongo said. Corporate representatives immediately started reporting they were impressed by the students’ preparation, articulation, skills and appearance.
The O’Brien Center puts on the career fair so students and potential employers with positions to fill can conveniently meet each other, said O’Brien Center’s Student Success Manager Samantha Medina.
Potential employers ranged from the Lynn, Mass. School District to WB Mason, Watts Water Technologies, and Social Security Administration.
“We actually have a student who was offered an internship and a job by two different companies on site,” Medina said.
Molly Farrell ’16, a business marketing major with a minor in communications, of Hampton, N.H., who took part in the Disney College Program last semester, prepared by meeting with her career advisor at the O’Brien Center Jessica Crowley and got a job offer during the event.
“She actually asked if I wanted to start working next week at an HR firm part-time,” Farrell said. “She said she liked our conversation and the way I spoke and offered it to me on the spot.”
Another recruiter stopped Farrell just because they were impressed with her friendly and open attitude as she walked among the booths.
Farrell turned down the job offer. She’s taking five classes this semester and already has a part-time job so she’s still on the hunt for a job in the marketing field, though she’s open to other careers if they would bring enjoyment.
Joanna Gormley ’18, a computer science major from Lowell, Mass., prepared for the career fair through the O’Brien Center then left with two strong leads for summer jobs, including a request from the Markley Group, of Boston, to interview for a coop position working with the company’s cloud team.
“She said I came across as well-prepared and well-spoken and I can definitely say I owe that to the job center,” Gormley said. “I took a professional development class with the O’Brien Center as part of my Analysis of Algorithms class.”
The professional development class taught Gormley how to give her elevator pitch, which is a 30-second personal introduction and explanation of her skills that will help her succeed in business.
The center guides students through career exploration, as well as teaches students how to develop resumes,cover letters,make elevator pitches and communicate well with colleagues.
“We really support their job and internship searches,” Luongo said. “We help them find opportunities that align with their goals.”
The O’Brien Center also runs a career fair in the fall.
