Access Tallahassee is a program of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce that has been providing young professionals with networking events since 2006. These events help them grow personally and professionally while contributing to the economic development and life in the Tallahassee community. The members meet with local leaders at unique events which help them nurture relationships with other young professionals.
Access Tallahassee is now taking applicants for their upcoming event, the Tally Job Hop, which takes college students to various companies from different sectors in the community.
“This is a prime opportunity to show students what Tallahassee has to offer beyond campus life, along with connecting them to local employers,” Coordinator of Events at the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Katie Orr said. “Tallahassee has an excellent talent pipeline and the Tally Job Hop connects students with local employers who want to see that talent stay here in our community.”
The Tally Job Hop will be held September 18-20. College students will go on a one-day tour to visit top businesses looking for interns and employees from local universities in specific industries. The Job Hop application can be accessed here and will close on September 13. This is a event for students, and the fall 2017 Job Hop features a different field each day: Engineering (9/18), Tech (9/19) and Insurance (9/20).
Engineering Edition: Coloney Bell Engineering; Genesis Group; Kimley Horn; Moore Bass Consulting; Poole Engineering & Surveying Inc.
Tech Edition: Canopy Software; Diverse Computing; Marquis Software; VR Systems
Insurance Edition: Brown & Brown Insurance; Capital Health Plan; Demont Insurance Agency; Doug Croley Insurance Services; Florida Blue; Rogers, Gunter, Vaughn Insurance, Inc.
This event is different than other job fairs due to the smaller size. The Job Hop is made up of approximately 25 students, allowing for a more intimate setting for the students to network and learn more about the company, their culture and the employees.
The tour will start at 1:00 p.m. and vans will pick up the students from Florida State University and then begin making their stops. At the last stop students will hear from other companies that they did not have time to visit. Then, there will be a reception for students and the participating companies’ employees. This is an opportunity to speak individually in order to network and build relationships with the employees. The day will end around 7:00 p.m.
“There are a lot of amazing companies in Tallahassee looking for top notch talent,” Access Tallahassee Chairman Andrew Gay said. “Our local universities and colleges have an abundance of talent and the Chamber is looking for the best students who will help businesses grow to the next level.”
The majority of the companies featured will speak about open positions and the Tally Job Hop has landed paid internships for 30 percent of the participating students, while several others have been matched with mentors.
FSU student Jaison Joseph participated in the spring 2017 Job Hop for Finance and Accounting Edition. After the Job Hop, Joseph was hired as an intern at the Bean Team, an accounting firm in Tallahassee.
“It’s 100 percent worth it,” Joseph said. “The Job Hop gave me a lot of exposure to the industry and helped me get a great internship. I learned about potential career paths I could follow and received a lot of great advice from professionals who had up to 20 years of experience in the industry.”
In addition to the fall and spring Job Hops, the Access Tallahassee program has a membership with numerous benefits. The annual membership fee is $75 and dues start on the month the member joined. The membership allows entry into several events per month with no additional charge.
There are approximately two events each month ranging from Day of Action, Power Lunch, YP (Young Professionals) Roundtables, Coffee & Connections and socials. There are over 450 Access Tallahassee members, which provides contacts for student wanting to expand their network. In addition, the Access Website provides resources such as a Job Board, member calendar, community information and member profiles.
“Students who want to build a solid network of young professionals, mentors and business leaders before graduation should consider getting involved in Access Tallahassee,” Orr said.
