Business students network with a broad range of employers

A total of 36 companies visited Williams Stadium on Tuesday, March 18, to scout potential candidates during the fourth-annual Liberty University School of Business Career Fair. The event, sponsored by the School of Business and Liberty’s Career Center, gave the 146 business students who attended an opportunity to share their résumés and meet with potential employers from local and national organizations.

The fair featured a broad spectrum of employers, from start-ups, including the consulting firm 9LENSES, to established industry giants such as Disney.

Junior Danielle Dias, a campus representative for Disney and former intern in the company’s college program, met with students to discuss a summer internship position with the Fortune 500 industry. Dias said that companies like Disney look for students who come from business schools with a grounded moral standing.

“Liberty students are great because we are not only faith-based students but we are taught how to serve others, which is what Disney really looks for,” Dias said. “What they teach us in the (Disney) college program is a lot about customer service, how to be the best of the best, and that’s why they love Liberty students. We already learn through our faith to serve others before ourselves.”

School of Business Department Chair Dr. David Calland said the university’s emphasis on ethics in the classroom gives School of Business graduates from the world’s largest Christian university an impressive reputation in the eyes of recruiters.

“Employers are highly selective of individuals coming from institutions where the educational experience ensures not only the ability to conduct critical analysis but to provide business-specific solutions at the lowest possible cost,” Calland said. “Our students prove time and again they are capable of delivering these skills. The attractiveness to employers — our emphasis on integrity and moral business leadership — is a distinctive our students offer over most schools.”

The School of Business works to create and maintain steady relationships with employers to see how they can improve students’ approach to the application process.

Dr. Anita Satterlee, associate dean of the School of Business, said the faculty maintains strong relations with employers through regular communication and hosts a luncheon before the fair to evaluate their needs.

“We ask the organizations what they are looking for in a potential employee: ‘Have they hired our students before? How did they do? What impressed them about our students?’” Satterlee said. “We use that as a networking opportunity to get to know these organizations that are coming.”

Liberty’s Career Center and School of Business work together to provide students with tools to sharpen their résumés and broaden their opportunities.

Christian Givens, a senior studying business communications, explained that the university provides an abundance of channels to prepare students of all majors for the next step.

“Professors send us emails to tell us what to do to set ourselves apart,” he said. “I met with the Career Center to update my résumé and they did a mock interview. They really help us prepare for the future.”