A specialized job fair for Hospitality and Intelligence majors will be held Wednesday, Nov. 5.

Dubbed “Hospitality and Intel Career Palooza,” this job fair will feature nine private intelligence contractors (including BAE Systems, G3 Technologies and Prescient Edge) and 10 hospitality companies (including Hyatt, Omni and Sheritan).

It is taking place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Center for Academic Engagement, where some Hospitality majors will be supplying the food to potential employers.

The reason the event is focused on Intelligence and Hospitality majors is due to the school’s main career fair being held so late, according to associate director of the Career Development Center Frank Rizzone.

“There were two majors on campus who were disadvantaged by the later fair,” said Rizzone. “That was because their recruiting schedule in the Intel world need more time to process security clearances and our hospitality folks like to have things lined up for the upcoming summer.”

Some companies at the fair are being represented by Mercyhurst alumni and have never been recruiting on campus before.

“Ninety percent of the Intel companies are brand new and have never been on campus before. At least one of them is actually run by [Mercyhurst] alumni,” Rizzone said.
With a need for both interns and full time employees, many of the companies are searching for a wide range of applicants.

“There is one recruiter at the fair who will also be open to students in accounting or management. They have a manager training program and they are specifically looking for folks for that,” Rizzone said.

Dolores Griswold, Career Fair Coordinator and Administrative Assistant, advises student to be as prepared as possible.

“Remember the basics of a career fair. Dress nice, be professional, bring at least 10 resumes and do not wait until [the end of the fair] to go,” Griswold said.

In order to make sure students are prepared, the Career Development Center is reaching out a helping hand.

“If students need help with resumes, they need to come see us. We can help and advise them with that and if they go to the DocuCenter, we will cover the cost of 10 resumes printed on nice paper,” Rizzone said.

Rizzone advises students to broaden their horizons at the career fair.

“The key is to do homework ahead of time. Find three or four companies you really want. Concentrate your efforts on those. As time permits, explore other options. So many students come up to me and say ‘I didn’t know they had this program’,” Rizzone said.

For a full list of the companies attending, go to your CareerConnect Account, find ‘“Career Events,” and scroll down to “Nov 5. Hospitality and Intel Career Palooza.”