Big employer turnout expected at job fair Wednesday

By: BRUCE KAUFFMAN - Staff Writer | Monday, April 4, 2005 9:14 PM PDT ∞

SAN MARCOS ---- Cal State San Marcos is set to host its sixth annual job fair on Wednesday amid reports that the interest level among employers may indicate that the region's economy is holding out promising job opportunities for students, the university's career services office said.

The fair is scheduled to run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the terrace in front of the Kellogg Library. Officials say the event is fully booked with 100 companies, agencies and institutions having reserved space for their booths. Admission is free.

Potential employers include municipalities such as the City of Carlsbad and the City of Vista, corporations such as Kragen Auto Parts and Mercury Insurance, state agencies such as the California Highway Patrol and the Franchise Tax Board, the military services and a school district, Vista Unified.

"We are maxed out right now," Sandra Punch, the university's director of career and transfer student services, said in an interview Monday. "It's better than it has been for the last few years."

"And it's all over the place," she added, noting jobs are being offered that range from law enforcement to accounting and even blackjack dealing, the latter two both being sought by the occupiers of one booth at the fair, Harrah's Rincon Casino and Resort "We're seeing a wide variety," she said.

Running a booth for the first time on Wednesday is 18-year-old Quintex, an agency for the sales of wireless services with an office in Escondido and a need for organized, resilient people, said Tim Thomas, the general sales manager.

Thomas said the fair will be Quintex's first ---- a way to "see who you're dealing with" as he initiates the hiring process.

"It's a sink or swim situation," Thomas said about the post, "and you never know who can do it and who can't. But my experience is that someone who's gone through college has shown persistence, has shown they can fulfill an obligation."

The fair's popularity with employers seems to track with perceptions of the health of the economy. The number of employers attracted to the fair swelled to its highest level, 134, as the dot.com economy heated up. And then, in the year 2000, the fair saw its lowest turnout, some 75 employers, as the dot.com bubble burst.

"I think they are always economic barometers," Punch said of the campus fairs. "The employers are not going to take the time to come here and basically spend the whole day out of the office if they're not looking to hire."

She added, "I think we're seeing that there is an increase in the opportunities out there."

Punch said she hears from employers that they increasingly value so-called soft skills, the transferable qualities developed by students that lead them to be flexible, work as part of a team, write and speak effectively and orient them toward being problem-solvers.

"The bachelor's degree gets them in the door," Punch said, "but the soft skills get them jobs."

Punch, who has posted tips on landing a job at www.csusm.edu/CATSS/jobfair.htm, said student job-seekers should wear business suits Wednesday, bring numerous copies of their resumes, offer a "good handshake," make direct eye contact and "just put a smile on your face."

Contact staff writer Bruce Kauffman at (760) 761-4410 or bkauffman@nctimes.com.