The Settler

Media Credit: Chris Crankshaw A recruiter meets with students at the Career Fair.

There were horses on campus last Wednesday.

There were also Navy, Marines, and Police officers, nurses, and many business people inside the T. Wesley Pickle Field House.
Each semester, Volunteer State Community College invites companies from and the Middle Tennessee area to recruit students for employment.

There were numerous opportunities for students to find ranging from part-time work to careers. Anita Ryan is a representative for Genesco, a company that's been making shoes since 1924.

Ryan said this was her first time at Vol State's career fair, but Genesco had been represented before.

Ryan informed curious students that Genesco had a few different positions open at this time.

"We start everybody out at $9.50 [per hour]," said Ryan. "We also offer an educational assistance program in which Genesco pays out quarterly, $2.00 for every hour that the student has worked. That's on top of the base pay."

Vol State New Skills Teacher Kathy Dvorak strongly encouraged her class to attend the Career Fair by rewarding them with points for showing up and dressing appropriately for the occasion.

She said it was important for students to know how to act and how not to act in a job interview.

"Out of 120 students, I'll probably see 100 of them within the first hour," said Dvorak.

"Several students have come up to me and said that they had already gotten a job here today," Dvorak stated.

Students serious about finding work were taking advantage of the biannual event, collecting pamphlets and applications, pencils with company logos, and handfuls of business cards.

One such student, Ross Lofton, said the career fair had been very helpful for him.

"I've been having a hard time finding a job," said Lofton.

Lofton said that needs a flexible schedule that can accommodate his work load from school.

"I'm looking for more opportunities. I think I'll find something I'm interested in there," Lofton said on his way back into the gym for a second tour through the fair.

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