It’s common knowledge that the current job market is competitive. A competitive job market is not a new challenge, or even a unique challenge, for soon-to-graduate students. Luckily for Temple students, the career center has stepped in and stepped up.
Kristen Gallo is the executive director of Career Services and vice provost for Undergraduate Studies. She works closely with each college’s career services to ensure that programming is meeting the needs of students. One of the biggest achievements of their programming this academic year was the new STEM fair, held in October 2025.
“[The] new thing that was implemented this year was the STEM fair, which was the combining of, broadly, efforts around the College of Engineering, College of Science and Technology, [as well as] MIS and Fox, and some of the health professions and clinical things and anything that could fall under the really broad categories,” she said. Gallo reported that they had an enormous interest in the STEM fair due to the alignment of hiring cycles with the industry.
Gallo works with Robert McMahon, the associate director and the vice provost for the Undergraduate Studies office. McMahon works more one-on-one with students preparing to enter the workforce.
“For context, when I graduated from college, which was a long time ago, every time I was looking for a job, of which I’ve probably had five or six by now, it was always the ‘worst job market,’ and that’s just never changed, and it’s even the same today, and it feels daunting,” McMahon said.
While both Gallo and McMahon strive to prepare students for their post-graduate careers, many of their goals reflect what students are looking for assistance with. A big part of their role is to provide opportunities for students by showing them which employers are hiring and interested in working with Temple students.
“We definitely love engaging employers that show an interest in our students. We want employers to come to campus and talk to our students who are actively pursuing it, who are saying, ‘I want a Temple Owl,’” Gallo said. “We love to see that, and we want to help those employers make sure that they are getting in and taking advantage of as much as possible.”
The sheer amount of opportunities can sometimes feel overwhelming for students, and it’s hard not to fall into comparing accomplishments. To combat this, McMahon offers a bit of advice.
“I think that’s the first thing that kind of gets in the way [when] we talk to students, encourage them to, sure, listen, and celebrate your friends accomplishments, but stay in your lane, focus on your path. What is your plan? Create a plan for yourself and then stick to that plan,” McMahon said.
While the job market may seem impossible to get through and the competition feels as though it’s never been tougher, the Career Center is working hard to help Temple University students be prepared for anything life throws at them. Any Temple student can reach out to their college’s Career Center for specialized help, or find many resources online on the Temple University Career Center website.