Story and photos by Monty Siekerman
The milieu was unusual, a gathering of young people, most all attired in black suits and dresses, wandering around a gymnasium. But it was an important occasion for the younger set, the possibility of attaining that first good job after college graduation. They knew how to dress for success.

The ONU Sports Center was filled with personnel from human resource departments from more than 200 companies, grad school, and government agencies on Thursday during the ONU career fair. Students, dressed to the hilt (more of them in black clothing than you’d see at a funeral nowadays) looking their best for job recruiters. And, the recruiters, too, looked sharp except for a few in slacks and jeans.

Human resource personnel tried to “sell” their company or agency, “Come work for us.” The future college grads, too, tried to impress as they found out about job opportunities.

When unemployment is low, more companies send reps to the career fair, looking for bright employees to fill slots. That is the situation with today’s economy. The reverse is true during high unemployment times. One long-time business lady in Ada recently said that it currently is harder to find employees to work in her store than it has been for 30 years.

Companies who sent reps to the ONU career fair were heavy on the engineering side. The demand for all types of engineers must be high at this time. And, there were a few recruiters in uniform: Ohio State Police, Border Patrol, a Sheriff’s Department. It was interesting that several law schools were represented, trying to attract 2019 ONU grads to their school when ONU itself has a law school.

The purpose of the career fair was to match soon-to-be grads with the right company. Ohio Northern has been recognized in several publications for the success of their graduates finding good jobs and maintaining them. That is a feather in the cap of the faculty and administration. Campus culture, environment, and facilities are part of that success, as well.