Students eagerly waited outside the USU Northridge Center for their chance to experience CSUN Industry Night. With more than 800 registered attendees, the event reached building capacity around 7 p.m., resulting in delayed entrance for many students.
The biannual career fair hosted by the Nazarian College of Business and Economics Career Education and Professional Development Center was held on Thursday, Sept. 26 from 6-9 p.m. in the Northridge Center.
Students had the opportunity to hand out their resumes and gain experience pitching themselves to potential employers such as Chick-fil-a, Disney and Enterprise.
“Going into this, there is an enormous amount of planning, but the staff this year are very experienced. They’ve been doing this for several years,” said Robert Sheridan, executive director of the Center for Career Education and Professional Development at Nazarian College. “The employer base has many repeat employers, but we also work pretty hard at refreshing [the event] with new employers all the time.”
Sheridan stood outside the event’s entrance, counting students as they entered and exited, while ensuring everyone adhered to the dress code.
“We have something called the Dean’s Closet. You see that I’m sitting here, enforcing a really strict dress code. If [the students] don’t have the clothes to come here, they come to our office,” Sheridan said.
Nazarian College students have access to free professional attire through the Dean’s Closet Program, which is largely made up of donations from alumni, similar to Matty’s Closet.
“We spend a lot of effort making sure these students look good and that they are prepared. We even have artificial intelligence-based platforms for resume reviews,” said Sheridan.
The Nazarian College also organized a workshop to prepare students for the event, focusing on team building, self-confidence, and networking with company representatives at career fairs.
“I went to the Industry Night preparation workshop. They taught you how to dress, what your resume should look like and what you should ask recruiters. The college also prepared me by giving me an elevator pitch on what to say, like an introduction to recruiters,” said Jackelyn Macias, a junior majoring in business administration marketing and minoring in finance.
Attendees could also get ahead by participating in the Professional Passport Program, which offers special opportunities to first-time freshmen and transfer students who apply online. Students in the program received early entry to Industry Night beginning at 5:30 p.m.
“The college really puts you in positions where you might feel uncomfortable, but it’s all worth it. Attending this, I didn’t really want to come, but being here is another story. I’m actually enjoying it, and I’m not nervous, it’s awesome,” said Alberto Elenes Ayon, transfer student and business administration management major. “I recommend [the Passport Program] if you’re a transfer or a first-year. It makes you do more, it’s great.”
Students inside the Northridge Center lined up to speak to prospective employers, hoping for call-backs and job offers.
“I am most excited to meet Disney because they are the top of the event today and everyone is going to be lining up to go to their booth,” Macias said. “Even though I don’t have the background experience for most of these jobs, just talking to the recruiters and learning what they want helps me get my feet wet and possibly talk to more recruiters in the future.”
The energy inside the Northridge Center remained high throughout the night, with students eagerly networking and trying their hardest to make lasting impressions that could change their futures.
“There are students here on Pell Grants tonight, who are coming from family incomes of $35,000 a year. There are employers here who are going to offer them jobs at $75,000 and $80,000,” said Sheridan. “That improves not just a life, but improves [the lives] of an entire family.”
