WSU and UI ‘Career Expo of the Palouse’ to Feature More Than 200 Employers

PULLMAN, Wash. — Students from Washington State University, the University of Idaho
and other universities and colleges in the region will participate in Career Expo of the Palouse
Oct. 4-6 at WSU.
In its fourth year and now the largest career fair in the Northwest, the free event is
co-sponsored by career services offices at WSU and UI. Nearly 3,000 students and 200
employers are expected to participate, said Dave Haining of WSU Career Services.
The multi-event expo begins Oct. 4 with a series of career development workshops hosted
by employers attending the fair. Options in temporary employment, marketing yourself in an
interview, business etiquette and professional development through internships are among the
themes to be presented. Workshops will run concurrently with other activities all day in WSU’s
Compton Union Building, Rooms 127-25 and 212.
Also on Oct. 4, WSU Career Services will hold an 8 a.m.-5 p.m. open house in its offices,
Lighty Student Services Building, Room 180. Career Services staff will be available to critique
resumes, answer questions about services provided by the office and about Expo, prepare
students for interviews and lead tours of the office’s comprehensive facilities.
In addition, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 4, mock interviews with employer representatives will
take place in Lighty, Room 160. “Students will have the opportunity to practice their interviewing
skills and receive valuable feedback from an actual employer prior to doing it for real,” Haining
said. Students are encouraged to sign up in advance for half-hour interview sessions by calling
Career Services at 509/335-2546 or may sign up in Lighty, Room 180.
The culmination of Expo’s first day will be the 7 p.m. Oct. 4 address by motivational speaker
Toni Smith in the Compton Union Building Auditorium. She is a team member — working in the
business affairs music department — for DreamWorks SKG, Steven Spielberg’s studio in
Universal City, Calif. Smith will talk about “Career Opportunities in the Entertainment Industry,”
from the recording industry to film. She will also answer questions from the audience.
“We anticipate her message, her Motown and entertainment experience and the fact that she
is associated with Steven Spielberg will have a huge student appeal,” Haining said. The
Associated Students of WSU, the WSU School of Music and Theatre Arts, WSU’s College of
Business and Economics, and WSU and UI Career Services are sponsoring Smith’s appearance.
The main Expo event — where students soon to be in the job market meet employers — will be
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 5 in WSU’s Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum. Participating firms include
Abercrombie & Fitch, Aerotek, the Bureau of Land Management, Cambridge Technology
Partners, Cavanaugh’s Hospitality, Guardian Industries, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, JC Penney,
McGregor, Naval Criminal Investigative, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Safeco,
Tektronix, Toys R Us, USDA, US West, the Peace Corps and Weyerhaeuser. “We will have a
wide spectrum of employers to appeal to as many students as possible,” said Haining.
Also during Expo, many firms with jobs and anticipated job openings will schedule students
to meet with employer representatives Oct. 6 during a mass interview session in Beasley. “This is
an optional activity for employers. Only students with scheduled interview times should return
to Beasley,” he said.
To boost attendance at the workshops, door prizes will be offered at the WSU Career
Services’ open house, mock interviews and the event in Beasley. Prize winners will be those who
attend Expo events, fill out forms and have their forms chosen in drawings.
For additional information about Career Expo of the Palouse, go to WSU Career Services’
website at or contact Haining, 509/335-7127.
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