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Thousands convene at fall 2016 engineering career fair

Student talks to potential employer at Fall 2016 Engineering Career Fair.

Student talks to potential employer at Fall 2016 Engineering Career Fair.The fall 2016 NC State Engineering Career Fair was held at the Jane S. McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education, September 20-21. This event sees thousands of students from NC State as well as other schools from across the United States. From freshman to graduate, the career fair has opportunities for all who attend, whether it is an internship, full-time employment, or networking experience.

Upon arriving, everyone must wait in a long line of students and visitors who are eager to speak to the 323 companies represented at the fair. They must also wear a nametag and are given a brochure of the event that lists the various companies from ABB, Inc. to Zurn Industries. The McKimmon Center is a maze of tables and people, especially students focused on speaking with recruiters. There are young freshmen eager to experience their first attempts at networking and interviewing as well as well-seasoned graduate students hoping to find full-time employment.

Freshman Kyle Weiner hopes to matriculate into mechanical engineering at NC State. He said that he volunteered to work at the event in order to gain early experience and potentially find a summer internship. Weiner said that he was interested in visiting the GE and BMW booths while at the career fair.

For NC State alumni who attend the fair to recruit for their company, this event is an opportunity to revisit NC State as well as connect with current students who might become future employees or interns. Jessica Rose and Michael Murr were recruiting for Premier, Inc. — a company that is dedicated to improving the health of communities by promoting high-quality, cost-effective health care; both Rose and Murr, alumni who were hired through previous career fairs, provide validation that this event can be career-changing for students.

Another student-success story is alumna Teresa Smith, a process development manager in spinning technical with Unifi Manufacturing and a recruiter during the career fair. Smith was hired as a full-time employee through the career fair a few years ago.

One of the subtle advantages of the career fair is that many companies are looking for students in other disciplines as well. Parnetha Callahan from Newport News Shipbuilding said that her company was looking for “all types” of students from nuclear engineering as well as students who could work in the company’s other departments to include various engineering disciplines to IT and business. The College of Engineering might sponsor the career fair, but the event can be for anyone willing to network and prove the value of his or her skills to a prospective employer.

A total of 5,544 NC State students attended the two-day event. A one-day spring semester career fair will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017.

Learn more at students.engr.ncsu.edu/careerfair.