Career Services and the Barney Charter School Initiative will host the 13th annual classical school job fair on Thursday, Feb. 11 and Friday, Feb. 12. The event, which will take place in the Searle Center starting at 11 a.m., will be attended by over 40 classical schools from across the country.
The two-day event will allow job-seeking students to speak with the schools’ representatives at the fair on Thursday and return for interviews on Friday. Many of the visiting schools have formed relationships with Hillsdale College through the BCSI and attend the fair in hopes of hiring Hillsdale students.
Director of Career Services Ken Koopmans explained that the fair is mutually beneficial to both schools and prospective teachers.
“People come from different schools looking to recruit Hillsdale students, and a lot of these schools only want Hillsdale students,” Koopmans said. “So for anyone interested in teaching, it’s a great resource.”
Senior Liana Guidone, who plans to teach after graduation and has attended the fair in past years, encouraged underclassmen with an interest in education to attend the fair as well, advising them to build early connections with schools.
“Bring some resumes and just talk to people,” Guidone said. “It’s nice to make those connections beforehand, so when you come back the next year they’ll remember you.”
Koopmans emphasized the importance of professionalism and preparedness for potential interviewees, as the schools are looking for candidates that are genuinely interested in them.
“Dress to impress,” Koopmans said. “And when preparing, look at the list of schools attending and do a little bit of research on them so when you approach a school, you can tell the representative why you’re specifically interested in their school.”
According to Koopmans, the benefit of researching positions prior to the fair is long-term, for both the applicants and the employers.
“They’re trying to separate the students who specifically want to work for that school versus students who just need a job,” Koopmans said. “If you really want to be at the school, you’re going to do a better job, you’ll be happier, and you’ll probably last longer.”
Senior Grace Schoenle will attend the fair a second time and plans to use last year’s experience as a foundation for success.
“You always hear stories about students getting a plethora of job offers, and I know that’s a distinct possibility, but I also don’t want to settle for a bad match,” Schoenle said in an email. “So I am going to the fair not desperate for a job, but hopeful!”
