Resumes, interviews, jobs: words that make every student’s head spin.
The Career Center hosted an event for engineering and computer science students as part of their “Explore Your Future Week,” where students learn about their respective fields. This event was held in the Wang Center from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m on Nov. 10.
A six-member panel was set up, including representatives from Motorola, Microsoft and Parker. The panel covered a wide range of topics, such as how to network, how to apply for internships, how to join clubs or societies and how to transition from school to the workplace.
The panel stressed the importance of networking in one’s respective field to the approximately 50 students in attendance. Networking often leads to internships, which in turn could lead to a job opportunity. The easiest way to network was to go to career and job fairs held around campus, the panel said.
“I like that we have representatives come and give honest advice about how to better ourselves,” said Felix Claudio, an engineering major.
Communication was another topic discussed. The panel talked about the significance of how communication is the first step to get a student’s foot in the door in today’s job market. Joining certain clubs, including honor societies, can set students apart. In some cases, if two candidates come in with the same skills, it is the extracurriculars that help with making the final decision.
Transitioning into the job market was brought up as well, as some students forget that with a job comes responsibility. Certain things cannot be taken for granted, such as punctuality and meeting deadlines. There are no second chances in the real world, the panel said, one mistake and a job may be lost.
The panel also talked about how students should conduct themselves in an interview, and how they should prepare themselves for the meeting.
The floor was then opened to the audience members, who asked questions for the panelists.
The program ended with a speech from a Career Center representative reminding students to visit the center in order to gain information on entering the job and internship markets.
