Jesus Zamora

Networking night helps grad stand out during career fair to land summer internship with Consolidated Electrical Distributors

Jesus Zamora graduated with a double major in operations management and finance in spring 2016. With the help of Career Services, Zamora landed a summer internship as a management trainee for Consolidated Electrical Distributors, Inc., in Vancouver, Wash. Zamora got his internship by attending a career fair.

"When I was a freshman, I was involved in the College Assistance Migrate Program (CAMP)," he said. "Experienced speakers from Career Services came and presented to us. They taught us what to put on a resume, what a professional resume should look like, interviewing skills and how to network with employers. These tips and skills I learned as a freshman have stuck with me and helped me ever since."

As president of the Hispanic Business Association (HBSA), Zamora's interaction with Career Services has been ongoing. The HBSA and Career Services are responsible for organizing Vandal Networking Night, an event the evening before the career fair. It gives students the chance to obtain advice from a panel of employers and network with them in a more personal environment that is longer than the five minutes they have at the fair.

"My main preparation for the career fair was Vandal Networking Night," Zamora said. "It allowed me to put a face to my resume and stand out, instead of being buried in a stack with the rest. I actually spoke with a management trainee from Consolidated Electrical Distributors that night, which allowed him to remember me the next day at the fair.”

“I would recommend for everyone to use Career Services," he said. "I think they have a lot of good tools and expertise. They have really good relations with employers and helpful workshops.”

— Jesus Zamora '16