Olivia Volkman-Johnson / Winonan

Most college students feel anxious when thinking about their impending graduation and what comes next. The Warrior Success Center has tried to ease these worries for the past 40 years with the Career Expo.

Winona State University had its first Career Expo of the school year last Thursday, Sept. 29 in East Hall of Kryszko Commons. This is the third year the Career Expo has been held, even though has not always been called the Career Expo, according to event coordinator Lindsey Miller.

Miller, who works in Career Services, explained that the expo used to be the Career Fair and invited Winona State students from all ages to learn more about post-college education and career options.

Now, the expo mainly focuses on Winona State juniors and seniors who are looking for full-time and part-time job positions as well as internships.

It is one of many fairs held by Career Services, including the Major and Career Exploration Fair and the Government and Non-Profit Career Fair, that allow Winona State students to explore their career interests before graduating and entering the job market, Miller explained.

This year, the expo included over 40 for-profit companies looking to fill a variety of positions.

“They’re looking for all different kinds of majors—marketing, accounting, business administration, nursing—just kind of a broad range,” Miller said.

Lindsey Vitrano, a talent acquisition specialist at TEK Systems, said her company does not seek out students from certain majors but often attracts students from a specific group of majors.

“We aren’t necessarily major specific. Of course, we end up hiring a lot of business majors for the nature of what we look for,” Vitrano said.

Vitrano explained that TEK Systems, an IT staffing and services company, mostly looks for a candidate that “has been pretty involved on campus or who have worked throughout school.”

“Sales jobs are hard, so we’re looking for that grit and determination it takes to be successful,” Vitrano said.

Executive team leaders at Target Leah Dyce and Adisa Velic said they believe having strong leadership skills and being open-minded are important characteristics of an ideal job candidate for their company.

“We’re looking for that leadership experience…it can be campus groups, jobs, volunteering, anything,” Dyce said.

Velic added, “Be confident and be open-minded. I think coming out of college sometimes [students] don’t always know exactly what they’ll end up doing or what they want to do.”

From a student perspective, graduate Jessica Kullmann said Winona State is a valuable asset when it comes to learning about potential careers.

“I think Winona has a lot of great opportunities…just the networking and the people that you can meet and the connections through the school itself,” Kullmann, who now works for Buckle, said.

Some Winona State students took advantage of the opportunity to speak with a variety of employers at the expo.

Zach Spanton, a senior and public relations student, attended the expo to get more experience speaking with employers.

Spanton currently has a graphic design internship with an advertising agency in La Crosse, Wis. Though he is not currently looking for a position, Spanton still found the expo helpful when practicing face-to-face communication.

“Framing it in that way actually made it less stressful, so I think if I can have this point of view with communication in general…it felt really natural,” Spanton said.

Sophomore Kayla Burant also found the experience helpful when it came to preparing for interviews.

“I’ve been interviewed a couple times and I feel pretty comfortable with it…but every interview is different,” Burant, a management information systems student, said.

Burant hopes to become a project manager with Federated Insurance, Northwestern Mutual or a similar financial company.

While Winona State tries to give students the tools for success, Kullmann said she believes it is up to the students like Spanton and Burant to use them.

“If you sit back, everything’s going to pass by you,” Kullmann said. “Get out there right away, start networking and really trying to figure out what is the best fit for you.”

-By Olivia Volkman-Johnson