"CCCA career fair: Having your future in mind"
By Enrico Versace
On March 12th, 2019, I attended the College of Communication and Creative Arts Career Expo and Student Showcase. I am currently taking the Writing Arts Internship course which has given me the chance to showcase the last issue of the Writer’s Insider with my fellow interns. This was actually my first time going to an event like this and working a table, so I had no idea what to expect. Several students came to our table. We talked about the internship and spoke about the qualifications to intern with us. It felt good to talk with different students and to help people. I felt like I was making the department and next internship’s team stronger.
When it was time for me to walk around to the other organizations and businesses, I found myself becoming incredibly nervous. Should I ask them questions? Or would they ask me? Would they even reach out to me when this was over? I pushed my fears aside and started to approach different tables. The first was The Multicultural Arts Exchange based in Philadelphia. It seemed like a good fit for me. The Multicultural Arts Exchange had a lot of opportunities that were multidisciplinary. I walked up to the representative at the table and started to speak to him, and he told me a little bit about his company.
It turns out the Multicultural Arts Exchange is a professional, cross-cultural arts organization that presents, produces, and promotes all kinds of performing and visual arts. The representative also had a list of open positions and what skills they required. After seeing basic skills like an understanding of Microsoft Word, Excel, and a few other programs I have become familiar with as a college student. I told the representative that I was interested and handed him my resume. We shook hands and I found myself a bit more relaxed. I knew then that I was putting too much pressure on myself. The Career Expo wasn’t about selling myself, or companies trying to sell themselves to me. It’s about finding the perfect fit. Can I see myself working there? Can they see me working at their company? It’s not like I was at an interview or was being hired on the spot. There would be a second chance for me to make another impression. I decided to keep going around the expo and meet possible employers.
The bustling CCCA Career Fair (April 12, 2019)
The next organization that I talked to was NJ Advance Media. These were two groups that I was first introduced to in Intro to Publishing, so I already knew what to expect. NJ Advance is an online marketing agency and the top local news provider in New Jersey for sports, entertainment, and more. They were looking for someone with an interest in journalism and who would be able to go out to a location, ask questions, write about it, and sometimes make a video on the topic. On the surface, that didn’t seem too difficult; I already had some experience with video editing before. I handed them my resume and left with a handshake.
Townsquare Media Trenton’s table was the next one I visited. Throughout my college career, I dived into courses focusing around new media and film. I was excited to see if my skills could help me look like a candidate for a career. Townsquare owns and operates many different properties, including digital marketing services, leading radio, and live event properties. They had a few job opening and internship pamphlets that they were giving out. Again, I left my resume with them and felt excited to hear back.
One of the last tables I went to was BookBaby. BookBaby helps writers self-publish, print, and distribute their book across several online markets and physical bookstores worldwide. I actually knew about them before the Expo. I looked into them when I wanted to publish a memoir. I decided not to publish the story but it’s nice to know that there are organizations like BookBaby that can reduce the hassle of getting something published and out into local markets.
There were also some tables affiliated with Rowan, like CHSS, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Glassworks magazine, and so much more. I saw a lot of faculty and students I knew from Writing Arts and Communication & Creative Arts programs. Seeing them at all these tables, I felt like I wasn’t alone. They were nervously talking to companies like I was. I felt like I actually had a chance to make it in this world. It’s a feeling I often forget. I’m glad that I was able to go to the Career Fair because it reminded me that there’s real careers out there. It helped me realize that I need to take initiative and look for companies before the graduation. After all, I might as well take advantage of opportunities before graduation.