Hundreds of potential employees shook hands with dozens of potential employers at Thursday night’s Industry Day 2010 as they prepared to undertake the task of 14.8 million other Americans: finding a job.
Spearheaded by the Society of Women Engineers, the yearly recruitment fair attracted more than 60 engineering-related companies, including Ford, Microsoft and 3M, all of which generated crisscrossing lines of interested students on the second floor of Norris University Center. The dress code was business casual, and SWE hosted a “what to expect” session earlier in the week.
The main draw of the event was the opportunity for alumni connections, according to Ellen Worsdall, assistant dean of McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
“It’s always nice for current students to meet with alums,” she said. “They see the paths they had to take to get here.”
Job scouts were similarly thankful to chat with students from a top-ranked research university. Henry Jones, a staffing representative at thermal-printing provider Zebra Technologies, attributed his company’s attendance to positive experience with NU trainees three years ago.
“The quality of candidates has been phenomenal,” he said. “We’ve had no complaints with the Northwestern intern.”
Other employers echoed this sentiment and offered their own head-hunting advice.
“We are very focused on leadership skills, so we’re looking for involvement in the community as well as (students from) a top-notch academic program,” said John Roberts, a senior manager of recruiting at Discover Financial Services.
His booth was one of several engulfed by eager students throughout the event’s three-and-a-half-hour duration. By 7 p.m., approximately two hours into the recruitment expo, more than 580 students had signed in.
“This time, I actually need to find a full-time job,” said Kevin Kao, a first-year graduate student in mechanical engineering. He attended last year’s Industry Day at the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Evanston but was already enrolled in a master’s program and didn’t actively pursue employers.
For other résumé-toting hopefuls, the annual event served as another reminder of the sagging job market. Teddy Ku, who was seventh in line to speak with medical-device manufacturer Hollister, said his Industry Day 2009 outing produced “maybe like a few interviews,” none of which led to worthwhile offers.
“I’ve had a few friends who got jobs, but others just go to grad school,” the McCormick junior added.
Not all attendees emerged from the Louis Room crestfallen, though. Chris Pussilano, a first-year graduate student studying computer science, admitted he had heard about the networking opportunity only an hour before the doors opened. Upon exit, he said the company representatives were more than receptive to his inquiries about a summer internship.
When asked whether he was still optimistic about his career prospects, he said, “After today, I am.”
