100 students from Touro’s Lander College of Arts and Sciences (LAS) in Flatbush, Lander College for Women (LCW), Lander College for Men (LCM) and the New York School for Career and Applied Studies (NYSCAS) attended a biannual undergraduate fair where they met with representatives from 40 companies across a wide-range of professions.

“This is the most diverse group of employers we’ve had,” explained Chaim Shapiro, LAS’s Director of the Office for Student Success. “We believe in providing our students with the most opportunities across a wide array of careers.”

The career fair was a joint effort of the career services departments of LAS, LCW and LCM.

Students drifted from one table to another amiably networking with their fellow students and future employers. Employers included Deloitte, PwC, KPMG; B & H, Makor, Leshkowitz and Company, Platinum HR Management, Canon, NYC Department of Education, Yachad, the Orthodox Union, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and dozens more. Several students spoke about how adequately prepared they felt from the preparatory workshops the schools offered.

LCW student Miriam Sussman participated in the workshops and said she was expecting interviews to be more difficult. “I expected harder questions,” she laughed.

“There’s an excitement and a buzz,” stated Ron Ansel, Director of Career Services for LCM and lead coordinator for the fair. “One of our goals for the career fair is to allow our students to make vital connections that will eventually lead them to internships and full-time position.”

Ansel stressed the preparation each school offers their students.

“We tell our students what to bring; what to wear and what to expect,” he said.

Becca Zebovitz, director of the Joel Daner Fellowship at Yachad, part of the Orthodox Union, said she was impressed by the candidates she met.

“The students I met were well-spoken and they had a sense of what they wanted, which is exciting for us,” said Zebovitz.

“We have a lot of incredible employers looking for talented students,” said Sarri Singer, Director of Career Services for LCW. Singer added that many students at LCW had taken part in preparatory workshops and mock interviews. “We made sure our students were where they needed to be professionally.”

Adriana Jimenez, Director of Career Services for NYSCAS, said that one of the tips she told her students was to visit tables, even in careers they might not have thought about.

“This broadens our students’ minds about what possibilities the future might hold for them,” she said. “In addition, it makes them more comfortable when they visit a table where they do want an internship.”

David Blechman, development associate at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said he was looking for a few good men and women for the organization’s government advocacy internship program.

“This fellowship is designed to provide students, who are knowledgeable and passionate about the Jewish community, with the tools to be advocates for the community,” said Blechman. As part of the program, students will be placed in local elected official’s offices around the New York area.

Blechman said that last year’s career fair provided him with a stellar intern. “At first, he was a bit hesitant, but by the end, he was really passionate and effective.”

LAS dean, Dr. Robert Goldschmidt, stressed Touro’s commitment to providing employment for its students.

“We need to do our utmost to provide opportunities for our students to meet and network with employers to assist them as much as possible in their career search,” he said. “Landing that first position, in many ways, is the most challenging hurdle to overcome.”

Touro’s success at finding employment for its students was apparent at the fair. Two Touro graduates manned the table for Mercer, the world’s largest human resources consulting firm.

“We’re looking for someone with strong math skills and since that person will be consulting on our behalf, we need them to be client-facing,” said Actuarial Analyst Abbie Jakubovic, a graduate of LCM. LINK TO STORY. “They need to have the ability to translate complicated ideas into simple terms.”

“We need someone who’s eager to present themselves,” added Actuarial Associate Michael Blum, an LAS alumnus.

Dawn Farina, special projects coordinator for volunteer and student services at Maimonides Medical Center, said she always meets someone at the career fair who will be a solid intern.
“We always meet good candidates here,” Farina said. 

LCM student Sholom Perkel said he felt his skills improved at the fair.

“Doing interviews at the career fair helps me get more comfortable with the whole interviewing process,” he explained. “I feel more confident now.”

Two students from NYSCAS, Oksana Zarkh and Diloron Akhmedjanova, waited patiently for an interview at the Deloitte table. “We’re both looking for experience,” said Zarkh. “We’re looking at the interviews as practice, so we’ll improve.”

Rachel Abecassis, an LAS student from California, is currently a staff accountant at a law firm, but was at the fair to interview with a public accounting firm. “The career fair is about opening doors,” she said.

Another LAS student, Batsheva Ioschikhes agreed. “I wanted to create a social network for myself.”

On hand to help (and cheerlead) his students, was LAS/LCW/LCM professor Yossef Newman.

“Like many events in life, succeeding at the career fair depends on preparation,” said Newman. “Career services did a phenomenal job preparing our students. The last few weeks we’ve worked with students on their resumes and their plans for their careers. Now it’s game time. I feel like a coach. I’m here to make sure our students get the most of it.”