OCCC’s recent career fair drew 48 employers and glowing reviews from recruiters, according to Laura Watts, director of the OCCC Career Success and Workforce Development Department.
“I would say that no less than 15 out of the 48 that were there told me it was the best they’d ever been to,” Watts said. “We had an exit survey, and while I’m still getting responses, they’re all saying that it was excellent. It was wonderful.”
Watts said her department launched in January and has now hosted two career fairs – one in April and one in October – with a third set for April of next year.
“There will be a spring one and a fall one every year,” she explained.
The fall event filled almost 50 tables, with 55 employers registered and a few canceling late for scheduling or staffing reasons.
“Everybody that I talked to, I asked them if they would be back in the spring, and they said yes,” Watts said, adding that sponsorships also increased. “We had 10 sponsors. That did improve because in the spring, we had like five. We made more revenue, and because I am self-sustaining, I needed that money not only to pay for this career fair but then to have a little bit of a nest egg to pay for the one in the spring.”
Watts said the layout was intentional to keep aisles open and conversations easy.
“Facilities said that a full house is 80,” she said. “But I really don’t think I would put 80 in there. The employers tell me how much they liked it spread out and open.”
Students showed up in force before the doors even opened.
“We had students pre-register,” Watts said. “I had over 300 students pre-register.”
Preparation workshops before the fair focused on resumes, 30-second introductions and professional attire.
“In the workshops, we talked about three things: how to write your resume, an elevator pitch, and Dr. (Byron) Dickens (director of Students Connecting with Mentors for Success) did a whole thing on professional attire and professional etiquette,” Watts said. “They paid attention to it too. The students who came to my workshops were properly dressed, and they had their resumes.”
Recruiters reported strong candidate interest on the floor.
“I made a point of going to every single table and talking to every single employer,” Watts said. “I said, ‘So, you have students you’re going to follow up with?’ They said, ‘Yeah, here, let me show you.’ And then have a long list of them.”
Results are already coming in.
“So far as of today, two days after the career fair, I can tell you one employer has already called me saying somebody’s already applied,” Watts said, citing the Amarillo Police Department as an out-of-state example. “I told employers that if you hire them, I want to know. Or if you interview them, I want to know.”
Watts said employer recruitment came through multiple channels, including the Handshake app, chamber partners and her own outreach.
“There are three or four different ways,” she said. “I have my own email list. We use Handshake. Local chambers of commerce posted it on their websites, and I got some from those.”
Beyond the fair, Watts is lining up hands-on practice for students.
“My next event is Oct. 29,” she said. “It’s going to be a mock interview event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the main lobby.”
Five employers will each pose a typical interview question and coach students through improved answers.
“Once the student visits all five tables, then I will give them a box lunch,” she said. “There will be pre-registrations for that because I have to buy the lunches.”
Watts said the department’s goal is to build steady employer relationships and keep students job-ready between fairs.
“Anybody who wants to come to my office, I will work with them on a resume,” she said. “If they want to work on an elevator pitch, I can coach them. If they are getting ready to have a job interview and they want to practice like a mock interview, we can.”
For Watts, the career fair’s growing success reflects more than just event management. It represents OCCC’s commitment to connecting education with opportunity.
“That’s what it’s about,” she said. “If we have a career fair and you hire one of our students as a result of it, we want to know that. I want to know it. Our president wants to know it. Because that means we’re doing what we set out to do – helping students take the next step toward their future.”
