WSET.com - ABC13Students Diversify Themselves in Job Fair

Students Diversify Themselves in Job Fair

Reporter: Dhomonique Ricks l Videographer: Ira Quillen

Lynchburg, VA - Almost 200 college students were at a job fair Wednesday looking for jobs or internships.

The Kirkley Hotel in Lynchburg hosted the 28th "Challenge Job and Internship Fair" featuring eight local colleges and close to 50 employers.

Students there said they planned out their approach to make sure they stand out from the crowd. The goal was simple: get a job or an internship.

"A lot of companies are looking for employees that are experienced and have three or plus years of experience and of course us graduates don't have that," said LeAnn Lawhorne, a Sweet Briar College senior. "It's kind of frustrating, but I go and look for another job that where maybe I can start and help me get my dream job."

"Not a lot of companies are looking to hire. They're looking at getting interns in to test them out," said Tyler Jones, a Lynchburg College senior.

Jones plans to get an internship to get his foot in the door.

"It gets you right in the right step to see if you actually like that company before you fully commit to that company," Jones said.

Another trend some employers are looking for is placement within their training programs.

"There's a lot of companies here hiring for the management training program which is the position I would like to be hired in," Lawhorne said.

To stand out in this cut-throat job market, some students say they are diversifying their approach and qualifications.

"I speak three languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese," said Conrad Anguera, a Lynchburg College senior. "That's normally my start off when I talk to these people. I feel I got to seem different."

Taylor Hines is recruiting and has a lot of tough choices to make.

"On the recruiting side, we're seeing a plethora of folks that are coming through looking for jobs," Hines said.

If you missed the job fair, you can contact your admissions office for more information about recruiters.

The schools who took part in Wednesday's job fair:

Hampden-Sydney College

Hollins University

Longwood University

Lynchburg College

Randolph College

Roanoke College

Sweet Briar College

Virginia Military Institute