Career Conference, one of largest in Midwest, expects 300 employers

2014 Oct 8

Lindsay Frank and Madison Ramberg will be a little busy next week. Make that a little busier.

Frank and Ramberg are student co-chairs of the 36th annual University of Wisconsin-Stout fall Career Conference, which attracts more than 300 employers to campus over two days to recruit students for internships, co-ops or full-time positions.

More than 3,000 students are expected at the conference Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 14-15, in the Multipurpose Room of Johnson Fieldhouse.

"Our conference is one of the largest in the Midwest but not by accident," said Frank, a senior from Ellendale, Minn., majoring in hotel, restaurant and tourism management. "I think that students take this extremely seriously and appreciate that big name companies and a wide variety of companies will attend.

"I think employers see how dedicated and career-driven the students are here, and they enjoy attending because it is a beneficial experience for them as well," Frank added. "It's a great relationship that has been built, and it continues to produce a great conference year after year."

"The value of the career conference for the students is exposure to all the companies and opportunities out there," Ramberg said. "It also is great for networking, internship or co-op searching and job searching.

"I found my internship at the career conference," she said, "and I know many other students who have found internships or jobs at the conference. I have also made a lot of professional connections."

Ramberg is a senior from Baxter, Minn., majoring in business administration and in retail merchandising and management.

Bryan Barts, interim director of the Career Services office, said Ramberg and Frank are among about two dozen students who help put on the conference, including setting meeting agendas, marketing the event on campus and serving as greeters.

"This approach to event planning promotes leadership development and applied, hands-on learning for our students under the leadership of the Career Conference event planner," Barts said.

The fall conference has become so popular and so large that UW-Stout has added a spring conference. It will be held March 3-4, 2015.

Barts hopes student attendance tops 3,000 this year, with 600 recruiters expected.

"This is the biggest multiple day conference in the Midwest presented by a centralized career center," Barts said. "Most schools do a single day or multiple, industry-specific events throughout the semester."

Frank said participating in the conference has value for UW-Stout students beyond the opportunity it provides for securing employment.

"It is a great way for us as students to get exposed to the professional world before graduation," Frank said. "You learn how to present yourself, how to properly create a resume and how to speak with potential employers before you leave college."

"This is a great opportunity for students because a lot of the employers we have are UW-Stout alumni and know how great the education here is," Ramberg added.

Beth Brinkmann, a UW-Stout alumna, doesn't need to be convinced about the value of the conference. Brinkmann is recruiting manager for Greenheck, a leading manufacturer of air movement and control units. Greenheck attends the fall and spring conferences.

"Greenheck currently has over 70 alumni at the company," she said, "so it is clear we value the education provided at UW-Stout.

"The Career Conference is time to network with students who may be early in their education, and it gives us the opportunity to start building relationships with them while they continue to grow their educational foundation," Brinkmann said.

It also provides employers with the opportunity to network and exchange best practices, she said.

Sean Dill, human resources recruiter for Prent Thermoforming of Janesville, a leading designer and manufacturer of custom plastic packaging, said the event "is one of our main sources to hire for fall and spring co-op positions, as well as full-time positions for our product development department.

"We have had great success with the level of knowledge the students have when they enter as a co-op student," Dill added. "Their classroom knowledge lines up directly with the knowledge required to be successful in our co-op program."

Several students have been hired for full time tool design engineer and package designer positions, he said.

Barts said an app has been created to plan and prepare for the event, and employers have been brought in for a boot camp to help students prepare for the event.

More information is available at www.uwstout.edu/careers/careerco_stu_fall.cfm

UW-Stout, Wisconsin's Polytechnic University, has more than 9,300 students in 45 undergraduate majors and 23 graduate majors, including one doctoral degree. UW-Stout, established in 1891, prides itself on the success of its students in the workplace, with a graduate employment rate at or above 97 percent for recent graduates. The university was awarded the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality award in 2001.