In the midst of the swirling conversations at the ODI Diversity Career Fair, Rain Taylor stood quietly as she carefully marked up her program, listing the locations of the 80 companies on hand. "I only have a limited number of resumes left," said the fourth-year economics major and Young Scholar. "So now I'm being strategic."
Taylor said she planned to increase her face time with companies by stopping at tables with no lines of students waiting to speak with recruiters. "I know I should be reaching for the stars, but I also like being realistic," she said. The Dayton native was just one of the hundreds of students on the hunt for full-time work and internships who gathered in the Ohio Stadium suites to meet job recruiters. It was another strong turnout for ODI's signature career fair, an annual event bringing students face-to-face with future employers.
Earlier in the day, 50 specially selected ODI students had more time to spend with representatives from 30 companies at a speed-dating style Networking Mixer. "Our corporate partners showed up in full force ready to meet and support our students," said Abby Lithgow, ODI's career service specialist who oversees the event.