Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to footer content
News

Hart Career Center Gives Students a Head Start in Career Exploration

Sept. 8, 2023

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Students at Illinois Wesleyan University have a valuable resource on campus through the Hart Career Center, and this year the calendar is full of new and returning events to offer exploration of specific career fields. 

“Students will be able to network with successful IWU alumni and hopefully be considered

Student shaking hands with a JP Morgan representative at a recent Illinois Wesleyan career fair
Students have a variety of opportunities to network with business professionals through Hart Career Center job fairs and events this year.

for either internships or full-time employment upon graduation,” said Warren Kistner, director of the Hart Career Center. “I also hope these events build their confidence as to the value of their Illinois Wesleyan University education.”

While some events are catered toward a specific group of majors, Kistner said many of the businesses who attend are interested in hiring individuals from a variety of academic backgrounds, especially candidates like Illinois Wesleyan students, who receive a liberal arts education. 

To prepare for career fairs and events, Kistner said students should research the attending organizations in advance, prepare any materials to share with employers, dress professionally, bring updated copies of resumes and follow up with any representatives they speak with at the event.

Finance Career Night — Monday, Sept. 11 from 6-8 p.m. in the Memorial Center’s Young Main Lounge

This inaugural event is open to all students, especially those studying finance, economics, computer science, mathematics and all areas of business. 

Representatives from 13 businesses will be in attendance to share information about full-time positions and internships, including Merrill Lynch, S&P Global Ratings, State Farm Ventures, BMO Wealth Management and Calamos Investments. Kistner said students can expect to meet alumni from IWU representing most of the organizations.

“With the growth of the School of Business and Economics, and the addition of the Greg Yess ‘82 Bloomberg Finance Lab, we felt this might be a logical next step for a smaller, more targeted career event. It should have a more intimate feel due the size of the event and the engagement of our alumni,” said Kistner.

Kistner added that every class year of students could benefit from this event.

“First-year students can gain a better understanding of what these firms look for, sophomores and juniors can explore internship opportunities and seniors can look at full-time, post-graduate possibilities,” he said.

Fall 2023 Job & Internship Fair — Monday, Oct. 2, 2023 from 4-7 p.m. in the Shirk Center

Around 70 employers will fill the Shirk Center to share information about full-time careers and internships with students. Organizations include school districts, marketing firms, art agencies, government organizations, nonprofits and more.  

This fair also takes place in the spring; details will be posted to the Career Center event calendar .

Students are also encouraged to attend career fairs hosted at nearby Illinois State University .

Nursing Fair — Wednesday, Nov. 8 from 10 a.m.-noon in the Shirk Center

This health care related event will offer information on graduate schools and career options to IWU students in the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Professionals in the field and graduate school recruiters will be in attendance. 

STEM Career Night — Wednesday, Nov. 29 from 6:30-8 p.m. in the Memorial Center’s Young Main Lounge 

All students in physics, computer science, math and related disciplines are encouraged to attend this event to learn about internship and career options in the field of STEM.

Other Resources

The Career Center also hosts smaller events throughout the year, including a session on applying to law school and the “So You Wanna Be A…” series, which invites professionals to answer students’ questions about unique career paths. 

Kistner added that students should activate or update any information listed in Handshake , a platform which can be used to explore internships and jobs, schedule appointments with Career Center staff, access resources and more. 

In addition to scheduled appointments, the Career Center offers walk-in appointments for students on Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-noon and 1:30-3:30 pm. 

For more information about upcoming career fairs and events, internships and additional career guidance, visit www.iwu.edu/career-center .

By Julia Perez