A group of CIA recruiters will spend the day on Waynesburg University’s campus on Thursday, March 30. The recruiting event is the result of two years of preparation by the Center for Career Services and the Office of the President.

As CIA recruiters typically focus their efforts on much larger universities, Marie Coffman, director of the Center for Career Services, said the day is a significant opportunity.

“You would have to travel a good ways, even to D.C., to have this opportunity, and it’s going to be right here on our campus,” said Coffman.

Because the agency’s recruiters typically like to speak to a sizable crowd of students, the university invited students from 12 other colleges in the tri-state area. Students of all different majors are encouraged to participate, as representatives from a variety of CIA departments will attend.

Students from Waynesburg and the other schools were required to submit their resumes to Coffman by March 20 in order to be considered for individual meetings with recruiters. Based on the resumes she forwarded to a contact person at the CIA, recruiters will select which students they’d like to meet with.

“To be able to talk with them one on one – I think that’s huge,” said Coffman. “At the larger job fairs, you could only get a little bit of time, but they’re going to be here all day.”

The day will begin at 10 a.m. with a meet and greet session for career services representatives, staff members and faculty to talk with the CIA officers. Then, the recruiters will hold an information session at 11 a.m. during which they will introduce their respective departments and answer questions. At 12:30, students can attend a networking session with recruiters manning tables similar to the setup of a job fair. Recruiters will also be available to answer individual questions and discuss general career options. Each of these events will be held in Alumni Hall.

All students, even those who did not submit resumes beforehand, are invited to attend the information and networking sessions. Students can bring resumes to the networking session to hand out to recruiters.

From 2:30-3:30 p.m., Benedum Dining Hall will remain open for students to eat lunch, offering a $6 meal for students from other institutions.

The rest of the day will be devoted to one-on-one, 20-minute advising sessions between recruiters and students whose resumes have been chosen. The recruiters will provide advice on resume changes and how to get a job with the CIA.

“For students to find jobs and internships – that’s always this office’s number one goal,” said Coffman.

The CIA has opportunities for careers in dozens of different areas, many outside of criminal justice. These include accounting, information technology, communications, human resources, legal services, engineering and more.