Career fair crashed by unaffiliated students

By Kristen Parrish

Some here are upset that students from nearby universities are attending Santa Clara's closed career fairs.

"I think it is unfair to Santa Clara students because the fairs are there specifically for us and if students from other schools come, it takes away opportunities from us," junior Kendra Middendorf said.

Every year, the Career Center hosts a number of fairs and networking events -- at least one each quarter -- for which students can attend and meet employers from different companies to discuss internships and jobs.

"There is a tight job market and more students are looking for jobs," said Enzie Lagattuta, assistant director of the Career Center, who explained that this is a main reason why non-Santa Clara students are showing up here.

An increasing number of students from other schools have been appearing at the university's fairs, including students from Stanford, the University of California at Berkeley and San Jose State.

Not every student is concerned that the added competition will hurt their chances at a job offer.

"I think it is good that (other) students are being so proactive," said junior marketing major Carien Hughes. "If students are committed enough in their search then they will find the information somewhere and we will be competing with them for jobs anyway."

But Middendorf disagrees.

"Santa Clara is a smaller school and not all employers who come here have had experience with our students -- they probably have had more experience with schools like Cal and Stanford because they are so big and so well known," Middendorf said.

Although more outside students means tougher competition, both Lagattuta and Kathy Potter, director of the Career Center, maintain that the number has been minimal and that "crashing" happens at virtually all schools. While San Jose State's career fairs are inside and regulated, both Stanford and Cal have fairs outside and can not monitor who attends.

"The only way we find out about other students attending is because representatives from businesses mention it," said Lagattuta.

"Interference over the years has not been consistent," added Potter. "If it became a serious issue, we would hear from employers and students."

Lagattuta said Stanford and Cal students aren't the only ones attending other fairs; he has heard of Santa Clara students who attend career events at other schools, too.

"It's hard because if we encourage students to look for opportunities then they will look at all options," said Potter. She also mentioned that students from other schools might be interested in our fairs, simply because of the employers we attract.

Lagattuta is responsible for overseeing all internships and experiential learning opportunities for students. In his experience, he said that most students from other schools come when the event is posted online, even though they are told that the fairs are exclusively for Santa Clara students.

"One difficulty is that we can't swipe students' access cards to get into Benson," said Lagattuta. "That would be a huge obstacle for the administration and the students."

The Career Center is taking measures to prevent other students from attending by refusing to post online what companies will be represented in the fair.

But Potter advises students to "step up" their game, regardless. Students, she said, "should have a good resume and dress appropriately in order to be noticed. Regardless of whether it is against Santa Clara students or other students, it forces people to hone their skills."

* Contact Kristen Parrish at (408) 554-4546 or at knparrish@scu.edu.