The smell of buttery popcorn and the sight of a new Cadillac and a hybrid truck stopped students Wednesday in front of the Technological Institute.

A few students took their popcorn and left. But many engineering students stayed around to chat informally and find out about job opportunities with General Motors as part of GM Day, an initiative to educate students about the company and its career opportunities.

The daylong event — sponsored by GM and the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences — featured a black Cadillac CTS-V and a Silverado Hybrid Truck parked on the sidewalk. As the engine ran, the truck powered a popcorn machine plugged into an outlet on the side of the truck bed.

GM employees served popcorn and answered students’ questions.

“There’s a superficial reason and a real reason (I’m here),” said McCormick junior Jin Hu. “They have free stuff and GM has good programs, internships, co-ops and (job) opportunities.”

As part of GM Day, five pairs of students completed a scavenger hunt throughout Tech. They answered clues and moved through the building to earn the final prize of $300 for their engineering organization.

“Some clues were math problems. (For other clues) you needed to know about things in Tech,” said McCormick senior Hyuk Lee, a member of the winning team. The group named Design Competition received the prize money.

Students said GM’s visibility Wednesday promoted the company.

“It improves my perception of GM,” said Ikram Omar, a McCormick senior and Lee’s partner. “They are taking in interest in students.”

Fall is a peak time for interviewing and hiring among seniors.

A few NU alumni — graduates from either McCormick or the Kellogg School of Management who work for GM — came to the event to connect with students.

NU is a key target for recruitment, said Alan Taub, executive director of science for research and development at GM, because of its record of producing excellent employees. GM wants to recruit even more heavily this year, he said.

GM Day is more an effort to expose GM, Taub said. He wants to formally recruit next week at the Society of Women Engineers’ Industry Day.

“Today is more to advertise,” Taub said. “We get some buzz going around our vehicles. Now we’re getting some buzz around our company.”

GM Day is part of the Tech Corporate Partners Program, said Allison Berger, associate director with the Office of Industry Relations, which organized the event. Berger said the goal is to connect companies with students.

The 29 companies in the partnership pay between $5,000 and $20,000 annually. Those companies then get preferred attention from NU, help in networking with students, research access and the option of hosting Tech Corporate Partner Days.

The true measure of GM Day’s success will come after the number of applicants at the Society of Women Engineers’ Industry Day is evaluated, Berger said.

“That’s what it’s all about, recruiting,” Berger said.

For NU and GM it’s a win-win situation, she continued. GM will get new interns and employees, and “hopefully (students) can get co-ops, internships and an education,” Berger said. “They get the best of all worlds.”

Reach Ashima Singal at [email protected].

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GM fair recruits with popcorn, cars

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Rishi Chitkara/the daily northwestern

Students get samples from a truck-powered popcorn machine stationed outside of Technological Institute as part of General Motors Day on Wednesday.

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 Automaker doles out food, prize money in activity to promote company