Looking to get a leg up on ever-competitive job market, 10 Beacon College students grabbed copies of their resumes and attended the 10th annual Florida Blue, Florida Classic Career Expo & Diversity Job Fair earlier this month at the Amway Center.
The trek was part of the college’s continuing efforts to bolster job opportunities for graduates of America’s first accredited college or university to award bachelor’s degrees primarily to students with learning disabilities, ADHD, dyslexia, and other learning differences.
Beacon students joined more than 5,000 jobseekers hoping to convince at least one of more than 100 companies in attendance that they are the missing piece in the company’s success puzzle.
Employers included Walt Disney World Resorts, University of Central Florida, United States Tennis Association, Orlando Health, Hilton Grand Vacations Co. LLC, and Florida Hospital.
Organized by OrlandoJobs.com, the event verged on one of the largest in the region. Last year’s job fair drew more than 5,400 jobseekers, according to OrlandoJobs.com.
Roger Lear, president of OrlandoJobs.com, stressed in a press release the value of diversity-centric job fairs: “So many people ask me how a ‘diversity’ job fair is different from other job fairs. It’s simple: Employers understand that the more diversified their workforce becomes, the more profitable their companies will be.”
To prepare for their shot, Beacon students drilled with Jeremy Neilson, Career Development Instructor, rehearsing with mock interviews and fine-tuning resumes and cover letters “to get ready and take full advantage of this great annual opportunity,” said Esteban Lopez, director of corporate and academic outreach at the Leesburg liberal arts school.