by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
Kenneth Gonzales, a UNM graduate, said he got his job with IBM about five years ago by attending a job fair.
After going to several fairs, he got to know the manager who hired him, he said.
About 800 students attended the 25th annual Hispanic Engineering and Science Organization Career Fair on Thursday.
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Gonzales said career fairs are a good resource for students.
"You learn about what these companies have to offer," he said. "And you also get a chance to network with people in the company."
Larry Quezada, the manager who hired Gonzales, agreed.
"It gives you a pipeline to start talking to people in the company," he said.
However, Quezada said there were some problems with the fair.
"On the downside, I don't think that UNM has been consistent enough with publicizing these fairs," he said.
He said overall, students at the job fair were not prepared enough. He said the University should tell students how to come to a job fair with everything they need.
He said students should research the companies they are interested in working for so they can avoid asking obvious questions at a job fair.
Gonzales said it bothers him when students ask whether IBM is hiring engineers.
"I just tell them, 'What do you think?'" he said. "Of course we're hiring engineers."
Gonzales said students should visit the Web sites of a few companies at the fair to be prepared and to make a good impression.
"When I came looking for a job, I knew what IBM stood for," he said. "I looked it up the night before."
Gonzales and Quezada stressed that students should bring several copies of their rÇsumÇs to job fairs.
Quezada said students falsely assume that they do not have to do any work at a career fair.
"When you go out into the real world I'm not going to hold your hand," he said.
Quezada said students should also dress well. He does not expect them to wear suits, but they should wear a nice shirt and slacks, he said.
"I'm not impressed," he said. "You've got to be presentable."
Valarie Lopez, who was working at a booth for Los Alamos National Laboratory, said she appreciated it when students did not look like they just got out of bed. She said she does not expect them to be dressed up.
She agreed students should do research before they come to a job fair and attach transcripts to their rÇsumÇ.
She was happy with the students she saw today, she said.
"They seem to be prepared," she said.
She likes UNM career fairs because a wide range of majors are represented, she said.
Graduate student Miena Armanious said he liked the event.
"You have a chance to get to talk to some of the people from the company," he said. "It's really difficult sometimes to get in the company and get your rÇsumÇ to the right person."
Armanious said he turned in his rÇsumÇ to representatives from Hitachi and Boeing.
Student Taylor Siemon said he came to learn about careers as well as for the free stuff.
Key chains and book bags were free to students.
He was happy with the event, he said.
"It seems really laid back," he said. "Everyone's really nice."
UNM's Career Services helped organize the event.
Mary Monta§o, Career Services spokeswoman, said companies pay between $300 and $500 to attend the fair, depending on when they registered. There were 65 booths at the fair.
She said the Hispanic Engineering and Science Organization got all of the profits, which she estimated to be at least $10,000.
The event was open to all students, regardless of ethnicity or major.
