March 8, 2007

VCU homeland security and emergency preparedness fraternity holds a career fair

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By Mike Porter

Members of Eta Lambda Sigma, the first professional fraternity in homeland security and emergency preparedness, have been planning their first career fair for the last five months. It was an opportunity for VCU homeland security and emergency preparedness degree majors to meet with employers who are searching for their special skills. Photo by Jennifer Watson, VCU Creative Services
Members of Eta Lambda Sigma, the first professional fraternity in homeland security and emergency preparedness, have been planning their first career fair for the last five months. It was an opportunity for VCU homeland security and emergency preparedness degree majors to meet with employers who are searching for their special skills. Photo by Jennifer Watson, VCU Creative Services
More than 130 homeland security and emergency preparedness majors visited the four hour career fair, which was declared a success by the employers, students and sponsor Eta Lambda Sigma, which plans to make it an annual event. Photo by Jennifer Watson, VCU Creative Services
More than 130 homeland security and emergency preparedness majors visited the four hour career fair, which was declared a success by the employers, students and sponsor Eta Lambda Sigma, which plans to make it an annual event. Photo by Jennifer Watson, VCU Creative Services

Rachel Welch travels to dozens of college and university career fairs every year. Welch works as an associate human resources specialist in college and university relations at Dominion Resources Services Inc. It is her job to help Dominion attract the best and brightest college graduates.   

Some of Dominion’s openings in company security and emergency preparedness require skills that aren’t easily matched at the average career fair. That’s why Dominion was excited to participate in a homeland security and emergency preparedness career fair held March 7 at Virginia Commonwealth University.

“This is a great opportunity for us to get in touch with students who have specialized skills,” Welch said. “When you go to a general career fair and ask a student what he or she wants to do, many times the answer is ‘I don’t know.’ The students we’ve met today are very focused.”

Robert Holsworth, dean of VCU’s College of Humanities and Sciences, found a similar reaction from the employers he met as he walked through the displays.

“I’ve been talking to a number of the potential employers and all of them are impressed with how prepared our students are,” Holsworth said. “And this is just an incredible opportunity for our students to learn more about the emerging opportunities in this field.”

The career fair was sponsored by Eta Lambda Sigma, a professional fraternity for students majoring in homeland security and emergency preparedness. The fraternity was organized last year and currently has more than 40 members, including H. Mariam Yohannes, who serves as treasurer.

“I’m a senior and I’ve been going to all of the general career fairs. But I found employers overall didn’t focus on homeland security. So we decided to have our own fair. It’s an opportunity to match students who have training in homeland security with employers who are looking for those kinds of skills,” Yohannes said.

This first homeland security and emergency preparedness career fair attracted 17 employers, including police, state and federal agencies, private companies and the military. More than 130 students participated. All of them were majors in homeland security and emergency preparedness.  Eta Lambda Sigma plans to make the career fair an annual event.

That’s welcome news to junior David Cappelli who still has plenty of time to launch a career search but recognizes the importance of starting early. Cappelli visited this year’s fair to take advantage of the concentration of potential employers in one location.

“I wanted to get my name out there, circulate resumes and keep in contact so that when I’m ready to get a job, I’ll already have established relationships,” Cappelli said.

As the employers started dismantling their booths at the end of the fair, Gordon Barwell, director of the Local Support Services Division at the Virginia Department of Emergency Management reflected on the day.

“Traditionally, we focus on experience when we search for job candidates.  But what this career fair has shown me is that maybe we can give up some of the emphasis on experience and give a little more thought to hiring some of the smart and enthusiastic young people that we are meeting here,” Barwell said.