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Career Services to host Retail Leadership Expo

March 8, 2012

Retail Leadership ExpoWhy is Career Services dedicating a career event to retail?

To meet the employment needs of NIU students in a struggling economy, the center’s staff are concentrating on retail because:

  • Retailers are still hiring.
  • Retailers offer multiple career opportunities that span all majors.
  • The skills acquired working in retail apply to all industries.
  • Retailers offer good starting salaries.
  • The average retail starting salary for NIU grads in 2010 was $41,540. Many offers were in the upper 40s and low 50s.
  • More than 20 percent of NIU students hired by retail in 2011 majored in programs offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences?
  • Retail hires students who majored in computer science, OMIS, graphic artists and criminal justice.
  •  E-tailing, eCommerce and mobile marketing are becoming the new face of retail.
  • The number of retail jobs in the United States increased by 88,000 between February 2010 and January 2011.

Sponsored by Kohl’s, the second annual NIU Retail Leadership Expo takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 29, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center. Registration is available online.

Faculty and staff also are invited; several faculty members will talk about their programs.

On the evening’s agenda are keynote speeches from retail professionals who will speak about their careers, leadership opportunities and the skills needed. Retailers and faculty also will hold breakout sessions to discuss specific functional areas and take questions.

A networking reception is planned from 7 to 8 p.m. Representatives from an estimated 15 retail companies will greet students and faculty.

For more information, call (815) 753-1641 or email careerservices@niu.edu.