Employer engagement
Engage employer partner program
Career Services launched Engage as its partner engagement program this year to connect employers with outstanding talent. By joining, employers recruiting Illinois State students are offered recruitment strategies customized to meet the needs of their organizations. Engage boasts five exclusive level employer partners and a host of highly active employers seeking top talent from Illinois State University. Unique opportunities during the 2021-2022 academic year included career fairs, events, and programs that connected employers with student talent.
Career fairs
Part-time Job Fair
Held annually at the beginning of the fall semester, the Part-Time Job Fair connected students seeking part-time employment on or off campus. Employers in attendance included university department representatives and local community businesses. Twenty-three organizations and 42 recruiters participated.
Fall Internship Fair
The Fall Internship Fair connected recruiters with students and alumni from all majors seeking internship opportunities. Thirty-one organizations and 62 recruiters participated.
Fall Career Fair
The Fall Career Fair connected recruiters with students and alumni from all majors seeking full-time positions. Sixty-eight organizations and 136 recruiters participated.
Virtual Internship and Career Fair
The Virtual Internship and Career Fair connected recruiters with students and alumni from all majors seeking internships or full-time positions. Forty-five organizations participated.
Education and Student Teacher Career Fair
Each year, Career Services hosts the Education Career Fair to connect school administrators, superintendents, and other employers from the field of education seeking student teachers and candidates in education and related fields for open positions. The fair was renamed the “Education and Student Teacher Career Fair” by the College of Education to encourage upcoming student teachers to attend the fair. In this way, even though they are assigned to schools for their student teaching assignments, students were provided with an opportunity to engage with employers and begin building professional connections. Seventy-five organizations and 131 recruiters participated.
Health, Human, and Public Service Career Fair
The Health, Human, and Public Service Career Fair connected recruiters from hospitals, health and human service organizations, and public and social service agencies seeking to hire candidates interested in full-time employment and internship experiences in health care, criminal justice, political science, and those interested in working in nonprofit and government. Thirty-one organizations and 49 recruiters participated.
Spring Internship Fair
Due to inclement weather, the Spring Internship Fair was canceled. The Spring Internship Fair and the Spring Career Fair were combined to offer in-person and virtual alternatives.
Spring Internship and Career Fair
The Spring Internship and Career Fair connected recruiters with students and alumni from all majors seeking internships and full-time positions. Seventy-four organizations and 138 recruiters participated.
Spring Virtual Internship and Career Fair
The Spring Virtual Internship and Career Fair provided an opportunity for employers to virtually connect with students and alumni seeking internships and full-time positions. Twenty-seven organizations and 34 recruiters participated.
Spring Education Career Fair
The Spring Education Career Fair connected school administrators, superintendents, and other employers from the field of education seeking candidates in education and related fields for open positions. One hundred and sixty-two organizations and 321 recruiters participated.
Programs
Cultural Career Network
The Cultural Career Network connects students with employers and alumni to learn about career resources and available internship and full-time career opportunities. Examples of Cultural Career Network Programs include the Diversity Employer Expo and the International Student Career Series.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Employer Expo
Held each spring, the EDI Employer Expo connected students with employers from a variety of industries to learn about their organizations and their diversity initiatives. Twenty organizations and 35 recruiters participated.
International Student Career Series
The International Student Career Series provides important information on career events and resources, searching and applying for jobs and internships, and visa procedures for international students who seek career opportunities in the United States. It is hosted each semester in collaboration with International Student and Scholar Services.
Alumni engagement
Engaged Redbirds
Engaged Redbirds was designed as an intimate event to provide interaction with current students and to highlight the advantage of becoming involved in student groups while at Illinois State. Alumni provided information on the benefits of student involvement on campus and the positive impact on their career journeys. Seven Redbird alumni participated.
Alumni Mentor Network
The Alumni Mentor Network is an online tool that allows students to connect with Redbird alumni for mentoring purposes based on their career goals. It allows students to learn from their professional expertise while the alum has an opportunity to make an impact on the career of a future professional. Eighty-nine alumni are registered as mentors.