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Teacher Fair 2008—Final Details Update Teacher Fair has arrived! Next Wednesday, April 30 , and Thursday, May 1 , we will see you at Worthen Arena for the big event. This e-mail contains important information to help you prepare. I encourage you to read this note carefully and refer to the previous Teacher Fair Tips if you have additional questions. Bring your Ball State University ID card to all Teacher Fair events. It will be required for check-in and to print your nametags. Schedule Wednesday Thursday Logistics and Expectations for Interviews Do not schedule back-to-back interviews--interviews often run over, and you need to allow yourself time to prepare between interviews. The average number of interviews for each candidate is four to five. Some candidates in the past have had as many as fourteen interviews. Other candidates may not get any interviews because of their geographic preferences or licensing areas. Don’t feel as if Teacher Fair is your only chance to get a position. The Career Center has other programs and services to help you out as well. We’re open all summer so call or stop by between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. As a graduate of BSU you will still be entitled to use our services. If you do not see your position listed for a particular school, do not assume that they will not be interviewing for that position. Talk with them and ask about potential openings. If you really want to interview with a school but their schedule filled quickly, get a business card from a recruiter and leave a résumé. Then you can follow up next week to try to schedule an on-site or telephone interview. Networking Only For those of you who are networking only, Wednesday will be the only day you attend Teacher Fair. On Wednesday evening, come prepared with copies of your résumé and dress professionally as you would if you were interviewing. Identify yourself to recruiters as a networking candidate and explain your plans for the time between now and graduation. During the networking fair speak with recruiters about potential job openings as well as preferred experiences or certifications, and ask about long-term growth plans for the school system. We recommend that you ask for recruiters’ business cards as they will become contacts for you in the future when you begin your job search in earnest. If you are networking only, please let candidates who want to schedule interviews go before you. Employers We have invited more than 1,000 employers to attend this event. Every school system in Indiana received an invitation, along with the 500 largest systems in the United States and additional targeted systems in the Midwest. Some schools do not attend this type of event since they need to hire only a few teachers or they receive a large number of unsolicited applications. Historically, positions available at Teacher Fair have been heavily concentrated in special education and secondary education. If your major area, like elementary education, does not seem to be well represented, it may not mean the positions don’t exist; it could be an indication that employers do not need to spend as much time recruiting for these positions. For a complete list of employers and positions click on the link provided. Employer List Concourse Layout Candidate check-in will be on the arena concourse at Gate 3. All employers will be arranged around the concourse in alphabetical order--as you exit the bleachers, the A’s are to your right. Because of space limitations and electrical needs a few tables may be out of their normal order. Please check the table signs or look at the map at Candidate Check-in for help finding the schools that interest you. Parking If you are a current BSU student you should use the parking lot that corresponds with your current parking pass. If you are enrolled but do not have a parking pass, you may obtain a temporary pass for $5 from Parking Services or park in the garage behind the Student Center and ride the shuttle to Worthen Arena. Please allow extra time for riding the shuttle at peak times. Additional parking garages are located east of Bracken Library and at Ashland and McKinley Avenues. All garages cost $1 per hour for the first three hours and 50 cents for each hour after that, up to $5 for the whole day. If you have already graduated and registered before April 15, you should have received a parking pass and map in the mail at the address you provided. If you did not receive a parking pass, please pick one up at the main office of the Career Center in Lucina Hall before 5 p.m. on Wednesday. For additional parking information please see the Parking Services Web site or call 285-1208. Final Checklist
Previous Teacher Fair Tips are Introduction to Teacher Fair, Employer Research, Professional Image, and Interviewing Skills. Come to our Jump-Start program to further develop your skills and prepare for Teacher Fair networking and interview opportunities! Teacher Fair Jump-Start—April 22; repeated April 28. Both programs start at 5 p.m. in TC 102 Bring your Ball State University ID card to all Teacher Fair events. It will be required for check-in and to print your nametags. We will see you next week at Teacher Fair, and we wish you all the best of luck with your interviewing and job search! Sincerely, Jenni Smith |