Wealthy Wednesdays help students with their job search path

Above: "Timken Team saw a great turnout at Central State University, Career Services Wealthy Wednesday event! It’s so much fun connecting with students and talking about education and their future careers. We'll be back for the big career expo very soon," said Timken Employee Relations Manager and HR Business Partner Michael Leftwich.

Central State University students who want to gain insight into career opportunities involving representatives from high-profile and regional companies are invited to take part in Wealthy Wednesdays.  

The small career fairs are held weekly on campus on the first floor of the University Student Success Center (USSC), nestled in the corridor across from the cafeteria, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Wealthy Wednesdays are free for Marauders, who can step up to tables hosted by recruiters to learn about the companies they represent. Promotional merchandise — hats, sunglasses, shirts, buttons, etc. — are typically on display for those who want to take home remembrances.  

In speaking with the representatives of partnership organizations, Central State students can learn not only about the companies present but also internship opportunities that exist at those companies.  

“We came up with the idea during a department discussion we had two summer sessions ago about some of the needs of the students and employers wanting to visit,” said Lisa Dunn, career specialist in Central State’s Office of Career Services. “I branded it ‘Wealthy Wednesdays.’ I feel like it’s my baby.” 

The event would become a way for Dunn, her department, and Central State as a whole to ensure students have accessible means to engaging with employers who want to scout for talent at the University.  

Dunn mentioned that the much larger Career Expo job fairs that take place on campus twice a year can be rather intimidating for some students, being that there tend to be nearly 100 partner organizations present.  

“It can be very overwhelming for a lot of students,” Dunn said. “We thought that Wealthy Wednesdays could be a kind of dress rehearsal for larger events like the Career Expos. On a much more calm, limited, and smaller scale, students who go to Wealthy Wednesdays can get acclimated to being much more comfortable shaking hands with employers, introducing themselves, and finding out more about the companies and opportunities that may exist for them there.” 

Organizations that have been represented at Wealthy Wednesdays include the likes of JPMorgan Chase & Co., Grange Insurance, DHL, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Fifth Third Bank, LinkedIn, Cardinal Health, Federal Reserve Bank, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Ford Motor Company, and LexisNexis. It’s not uncommon for these companies to send Centralians who work for them, Dunn added.   

“Wealthy Wednesdays are a great way to have employers — many of whom are trying to break the doors down to come out here — come to campus and meet our students,” Dunn said. “Unfortunately, a lot of the time professors don’t have time or resources to invite employers to their classes. So, this is a way to pivot and get employers on campus anyway.” 

Because so many employers are interested in taking part in Wealthy Wednesdays, Dunn noted her department has had to expand the number of tables it sets up to accommodate companies from one or two to three each week.  

“The term ‘Wealthy Wednesday’ came from our wanting to help students understand that you build your wealth by building your network,” Dunn said. “And if you don’t network with employers and get that professional experience, then you really limit your opportunities. 

“Even though students are here for a great academic experience, and to learn, and to get their degree, their degree is really a means to an end. So, we really want them to begin with the end in mind, which is to be self-sufficient, employed, out of mom and dad’s home. We want them to really begin to think more about their professional life after they graduate.”  

Dunn is optimistic that in promoting Wealthy Wednesdays on social media, many companies that may not have been familiar with the events or Central State are now asking to be represented at the weekly affairs. 

“We think it’s very important to get talent early,” Diane Majrouh, corporate recruiter for Western & Southern Financial Group, said about her company’s participation in Wealthy Wednesday. “We start by offering them an internship, and our goal and hope is to then bring them on full-time.” 

“We cast a fairly wide net of colleges in the area, specifically looking for students who have aligned majors and historical track records in the areas we’re specifically looking to hire for,” said Rebecca Zurek, college relations recruiter at Cardinal Health. “And coming to a Historical Black College and University like Central State aligns very well with our diversity, equity, and inclusion goals to provide a more representative employee base to match the public that we’re serving. As a medical products organization, we find that it’s extremely important to have an employee base who can make decisions that reflect the community.” 

Zurek said her experience at Central State was a very positive one, and she enjoyed talking with students about internships her company has available. 

Sophomore Evon Morris, originally from Atlanta, Georgia, and majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Technology, came to Wealthy Wednesday because he felt it would be a good opportunity to network and see what the companies present were offering. In stopping by the Cardinal Health table, Morris was delighted to find that it has internships for those interested in business development, particularly in the technology field. 

“That’s a perfect situation for me,” Morris said, continuing that although he had never been to Wealthy Wednesday before, he intends to come back in the future. 

Bahamian freshman Environmental Engineering major Raniah Saunders had been to Wealthy Wednesday multiple times in the past and continues to come due to the positive interactions she usually has at the weekly events. 

“It’s a great way to expand my connections, expand my network,” Saunders said. “It’s a good way to get to know people and to see which jobs they have that I can apply to in the future when I’m qualified to do so.” 

Senior Business Administration major and Agriculture Business minor Ka’von Harper said he will “try to pop in to Wealthy Wednesday here or there when I can. I try my best to dress up a little bit and do my best when I do have time to come on by. It was good to speak with the recruiters I talked to, because I got to learn their backgrounds and what it is they do at their jobs. 

“They gave me interest and want to get an internship. And I do want to see what other internships are out there, too. It’s about applying myself and getting out there so I can be successful in the future.”