There are many adjectives that can be used to describe the 2002 Job Expo, unfortunately I need only one — disappointing. It was a waste of time, university and corporate resources, not to mention a wasted wear of those dry clean only garments that we all dug out of our closets for the occasion. I only spent about 30 minutes at the Expo, talking mainly to those who might be recruiting students with degrees from the Department of Technology. I left after being insulted by the bubble gum chewing, ponytail-swinging charlatans that were at the first table representing P’G. They were obviously there for PR reasons only.
Before P’G inspired me to leave, I spent some time traveling from table to table talking to so-called-recruiters. I was very disturbed to hear the things they had to say. A “recruiter” from Builders First Source blatantly said that they were only there seeking laborers, not graduates. The representatives from L’Oreal and Castellini said they were there to find production workers. One lady recruiting for a local home builder, The Drees Company, was unaware that NKU has an associate degree program in Construction Technology. I cannot help but wonder if these companies would have sent the same representatives and presented themselves in the same manner at a Job Expo at Xavier, Miami, Thomas More, Cincinnati State or UC — probably not. I am sure many of them will cite current economic conditions as their reason for not recruiting graduates. If that is so, they could have declined to attend. Mazak Corporation nobly declined because they felt it was inappropriate to accept resumes knowing that they had no positions available. One company who attended that I would like to praise is The Fischer Group, another local home builder. They acted very professionally and genuinely interested in finding qualified students for their company.
The recruiters are not totally to blame for my disappointment. The Career Development Center (CDC) deserves most of it. It may have been beneficial for some, but likely the majority of students,especially those graduating this semester, received the same treatment I did. Someone in that office surely knew that many of those companies were there to recruit for jobs requiring minimal education and skills.
Of 24 Fortune 1000 companies headquartered within a 50-mile radius around the Cincinnati area, only six were present. It is discouraging that CDC is not out there promoting the fact that NKU students are equally as qualified to fill corporate-level positions as students from other institutions in the area. Did I waste the last three years of my life and several thousand dollars on a degree that will get me a minimum-wage job as a production worker? Hopefully when I graduate next year CDC will hold a Job Expo that will convince me I did not!
