Expanded Media Career Fair to Benefit Students and Employers
By Kim Trokey
Columbia, Mo. (June 28, 2006) — The Missouri School of Journalism’s sixth annual Media Career Fair will be held October 18-19. This year’s fair will be larger than in years past, giving students and employers a wider and deeper range of possibilities to explore.
The fall’s event brings together the formerly separate sports convergence, newspaper, and internship fairs. The fair has also been expanded to add broadcast and new media recruiters to the mix, a reflection of the convergence trend in the media world. In addition, the fair’s dates fall during Business Journalism Exploration Week, which will include numerous other workshops and guest speakers for the students and recruiters to participate in and enjoy.
The fair gives current journalism students a chance to meet with potential employers and recruiters, gain practice interviewing, form connections with industry professionals, receive resume or portfolio feedback, and to gain overall insight into their future career options.
Recruiters from ESPN, Fox Sports Midwest, Reuters, the Associated Press, and the Boston Globe have participated in previous career fairs at the School.
“This year’s fair will be busier than the years’ past, as we are still working on additional career related programs to include,” said Phou Sengsavanh, assistant director of the School’s career services.
Pre-registered students will be invited to attend a reception on the evening of Oct. 18 to meet informally with recruiters. The formal career fair, open to all journalism students, will be held the following day.
Joe Grimm of the Detroit (Mich.) Free Press is one of many recruiters who has found numerous candidates for internships and full-time positions at previous fairs. “MU was one of the first schools on my list. Students here really know how to work, and they work hard for our papers,” he said.
Kim Trokey, BJ ’06, is pursuing a master’s degree in journalism, studying the strategic communication model, and serving as a graduate research assistant. As an undergraduate, she gained experience in public relations, event planning and advertising through internships at Help the Aged Charity in London, England, and at Rodgers Townsend, a full-service advertising agency in St. Louis, Mo. Trokey plans to work in advertising account planning upon graduation.
Updated: April 10, 2020