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Few local businesses to come to Career Fair

Bethany Bruner, Senior Staff Writer

Miami University's career fair may look on the outside like it's just for the huge companies, but don't judge this book by its cover.

Associate Director of Career Services Bill Froude said over 2,000 employers are invited to the 2010 Career Fair Wednesday, Sept. 22 at Millett Hall.

While most of the businesses that end up participating in the fair are larger companies, Froude said local businesses are more than welcome to participate as well, but most choose not to.

"Most of the local businesses don't need to come so close because they're local," Froude said.

One local business is participating in career fair 2010, according to the career fair website. Transitional Living, Inc. is a health care company based in Hamilton and is listed as a participant in the career fair. They could not be reached for comment.

Miami senior Dustin Amrine said he is not surprised local businesses don't participate as heavily in career fair as more national companies.

"Miami students dream big," he said. "There's really no urge to stay in Butler County."

Amrine will be graduating in May and found a job in Cincinnati through an internship he got at career fair last year. He said he was looking for something near Cincinnati for right after school and the career fair offered him a lot of options.

"I think a lot of Cincinnati companies come to Miami because it's easy to recruit here," he said. "Plus, a lot of people are looking for the Big Four, so it's just kind of convenient."

Froude said local businesses are invited to career fair, but besides being local there are other factors to keep them away.

"Coming to career fair means taking a day off of work," Froude said. "The companies that tend to come are the ones who are on the bigger side."

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Amrine said he does not think Career Services should be faulted for having a lack of Butler County businesses participating in the fair.

"Local businesses wouldn't be big enough to afford to recruit usually," he said. "They also would not have enough pull at a university like Miami where the best businesses in the country come to recruit."

Froude agrees with this, but said other campuses have tried to make events more local. According to Froude, Miami Hamilton campus employee Shelby Cassidy put together a Butler County career fair on that campus, but due to the economy the event was cancelled last year.

Even if students are looking for a more local business for job placement after graduation, Froude said they should still come to the career fair.

"We have a lot of great businesses here to recruit," he said. "It's a great opportunity."

For a full listing of businesses participating in the 2010 career fair, visit www.muohio.edu/careers and click the career fair link.