Alumni give back – one résumé critique at a time

Just one week before the NC State Engineering Career Fair, engineering alumni returned to campus to volunteer their time and help prepare students for an event that could land them top internships and jobs.

“We thought it would be great to have alumni share how to get hired in today’s market,” said Rob Manning, an electrical engineering alumnus and executive vice president of power system operations at the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Manning and other engineering alumni helped students prepare for the fair as part of the annual Engineers’ Day (E-Day) activities at NC State. This year, for the first time, the event featured a panel of alumni who answered questions, conducted mock interviews with students and reviewed their résumés. Alumni from other NC State colleges who work in human resources positions rounded out the group.

The twice-a-year Career Fair — one of the largest in the nation for engineering students — draws thousands of engineering students and other top job seekers together with top employers looking to fill jobs and internships. More than 170 companies and government agencies attended the Feb. 2 event.

E-Day helped the students get ready. About 100 students attended the Jan. 26 event, joining 24 alumni and corporate volunteers ranging from Crowder Construction to BioMarck Pharmaceuticals to Kimley-Horn. The event was organized by the Engineers’ Council (E-Council), the University Career Center (UCC) and the College Relations Committee of the NC State Engineering Foundation, Inc.

E-Day panelists stressed that students who understand their own strengths, communicate effectively and present a professional image stand the best chance of being selected for an interview.  Most importantly, corporate representatives take notice of students who are prepared.

“At the Career Fair, you see so many students, and the ones that actually go through the preparation stand out,” said Bill Phillips, an NC State alumnus and campus relations and intern/co-op program manager at Duke Energy. “Whether you’re looking for an internship, a co-op or a full-time opportunity, you only get a short window of time to speak to employers. You want to make sure that you’re on point with things.”

Phillips joined four other alumni on the panel, including Manning and Nelson Peeler, who are members of the College Relations Committee.

“Students should really understand what business they’re in and what their job may require,” said Peeler, an electrical engineering alumnus and vice president of system operations at Duke Energy. “Although this isn’t always easy to do, there’s a lot of value in asking questions like, ‘What’s the work going to be like?’ or ‘What will I be doing?’”

Panelists also encouraged students to demonstrate positive behaviors such as giving a firm handshake, paying attention to details and organizing an “elevator speech,” which may help students stand out among other job seekers.

And while the day of the Career Fair is busy, the days following can be the most hectic, explained Leslie Rand-Pickett, assistant director of the UCC.

“February is a very busy recruiting time for NC State students,” said Rand-Pickett. “On the days immediately following the Engineering Career Fair, employers conduct about 500 interviews across campus.”

Lee Causey, an NC State nuclear engineering alumnus who works at Progress Energy, remembers when he was an engineering student looking for a job. Helping students navigate the interview process can give their careers a boost, he said.

“As alumni, we can relate to these students,” said Causey. “We all started in the same place and we know how important it is to take the right steps and how that will determine where you’re going to end up.”