For our LEAP Course on the week of November 1st, we were tasked with visiting the Career Fair and introducing ourselves to at least 5 different company representatives. We were to then write a reflection on the experience on Blackboard:

“On October 29th, I visited the Career Fair at the Ted Convocation Center to look around at the different employers and companies that were in attendance. I noticed the Navy had a display stationed outside of the Ted as I went inside to receive my entrance sicker. There was an area setup to have your photo taken for your LinkedIn profile and all of the employers had their stands inside of the Convocation Center. I went around looking at the different employers and was approached by a member of the Asturian Construction Company. He told me how my major (Computer Science) is becoming increasing relevant in the construction field in regards to Virtual Reality and allowing companies to visualize projects using technology before it is physically realized. I was given an informational pamphlet regarding internship information and a bluetooth speaker with their company logo on it. I also visited other companies including the plumbing company Ferguson who apparently worked on the Convocation Center in the past, the cooling and heating company DJG who worked on the Oceanography building here at ODU and other universities in Virginia, the engineering company WR Systems who works with rainwater, plumbing, purification and other environmental related tasks, the coffee company Massimo Zenetti Beverage USA who offered me a Kauai Coffee Cold Brew pack, and the bank Fulton Financial Corporation. I also came across various other companies relating to IT, engineering, shipping and transportation, etc. I enjoyed meeting with the different company representatives to learn about their respective companies and look forward to next year when I’ll likely be looking for internship opportunities.

What kind of companies did you guys visit on your trip to the career fair?”

In this week’s LEAP course session, we were assigned our Informational Interview in which we were instructed to attend the Career Fair during our next class session and ask the employers questions. On October 29th, LEAP1 students are to attend the career fair and introduce themselves to a minimum of five employers of interested and obtain their business cards. We are also to write a reflection in the discussion board on Blackboard and respond to at least two peers.

We reviewed the proper attire to wear for the Career Fair and how to conduct ourselves when interacting with the employers. We went over examples of questions to ask the employers and try to get contact information in order to setup an information interview when they were available to talk more.

Some questions I plan to ask employers include:

1. Do you enjoy your work?
2. What is the average starting salary in your workplace?
3. What does an average day look like in your workplace?
4. What are the requirements to be hired in your position?

I will include my reflection of my Career Fair experience in my LEAP Course blog post next week.

In this week’s LEAP course we reviewed what we discussed in previous sessions in regards to different learning styles and communication/presentation in the workplace. We were reminded of our 1-on-1 resume review sessions with our instructor and then we were dismissed due to technical issues.

I feel that despite the relatively short class this week, I was refreshed on important information that can assist me as I go forward working in the ePortfolio Studio. I feel that the information in regards to communication and presentation is very relevant to a Front Desk Assistant. Presentation is important as it is important to remain attentive to walk-ins and phone calls. I believe it is important to communicate with the ePortfolio team members when I don’t know the answer to a question from a visitor.

Some goals that I want to set for myself is to learn more about the ODU campus, so that I can easily assist visitors in locating the various offices on-campus. I want to be more presentable and friendly at the front desk, so that walk-ins feel comfortable asking me any questions they may have. I would also like to be more assertive in asking walk-ins if they need help with anything or ask who they’re here to see. I’d also like to stay on top of recording when someone comes in on the Front Desk Tracking Sheet.

I feel that the information that I am learning in the LEAP course and from my experiences here as an ePortfolio FDA will assist me in the future as I take other working positions on and off-campus.