Alumni sponsor Jan. 4 Job Fair

It's turning into crunch time for seniors with graduation around the corner and the need for a job becoming imminent. A job fair sponsored by the Metro Washington alumni chapter of the JMU Alumni Association will give seniors another opportunity to get their resumés to employers and learn about job opportunities.

The fair will be held Friday, Jan. 4 at the Virginia Tech/University of Virginia Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church.

Last year marked the first time the Alumni Association sponsored such an event. According to Wendell Esbenshade, assistant director of Alumni Relations, there was an excellent turnout of both employers and job seekers.

"We raised about $12,500 for the alumni chapter's scholarship fund," Esbenshade said. He said the association received almost 400 resumés, and 208 people attended the fair. Most of those who attended were JMU students or alumni, but there were people from the Washington, D.C. community also.

This year's proceeds from the job fair, which are raised from the fee employers pay to attend, will again go to the Metro Washington chapter's scholarship fund, according to Justin Thompson, executive director of Alumni Relations.

Each year the scholarship is awarded to a rising JMU senior whose home is in the Metro Washington area, Thompson said. There is no fee for job seekers who attend the fair.

Currently there are almost 20 employers registered to attend the fair. With two weeks of registration left, Mark Chernisky ('92), chair of the annual Job Fair event for the Metro Washington chapter, said he hopes to see about 30 or more employers represented at the fair.

Some of the companies listed on the Job Fair's Web site (www.jmu.edu/alumni/jobfair) include the U.S. Investigations Services, MetLife Financial Services, Lifetime Fitness, Arthur Andersen LLP and Navy Civilian Jobs. The Web site provides links to each company so visitors can research what jobs are open.

"Having a career fair near where I plan to stay after graduation would help me by giving me an opportunity to get my resumé to the companies I would prefer to work for," senior Jacob Weaver said.

Only JMU students and alumni are permitted to register for the fair by sending their resumés. According to Esbenshade, the guidelines for submitting a resumé are posted on the fair's Web site. All resumés submitted by the deadline, by the close of business Dec. 14, will be burned onto a CD-ROM and given to each company registered for the fair. Resumés can be submitted for the employers' CD regardless of attendance at the fair.

"For December graduates or students about to graduate, this is a great opportunity to 'get a leg up', or at least 'dip your toe' in the job market," Cherinsky said.

Thompson encourages JMU seniors to attend if they are in the area during the Winter Break.

"What sets this job fair apart from others is that employers will have a chance to meet with JMU alumni and JMU seniors," Thompson said. "Both of these groups have an education of known quality and alumni have experience. This composition of attendees is very attractive to employers, so I think that these employers are coming to the fair with real job opportunities and the intent to fill them."