According to the recent National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Job Outlook 2018 survey, employers plans to hire 4 percent more new graduates during 2017-18 than they did in 2016-17 for their U.S. operations. This news came just as the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) at Rensselaer hosted the 17th annual Spring Career Fair on Feb. 7 in the Alumni Sports and Recreations Center (Armory).
“The mission of the CCPD is to education students on how to effectively manage their careers so that can be world leaders in a technologically based global economy,” said Matt Cardin, CCPD director. “Beyond planning the annual Career Fair, the CCPD provides a comprehensive menu of programs and services to assist students with defining and implementing their career plans. The fair is an exciting opportunity for us to showcase Rensselaer’s talented and diverse students across all our academic programs. Additionally, the Career Fair allows employers to seek out candidates for internships, co-ops, and full-time opportunities. We were pleased to host 150 companies and introduce them to the over 2,000 Rensselaer undergraduate and graduate students who planned to attend the event this year.”
Cardin noted that the Career Fair also supports Rensselaer’s new initiative called The Arch. The Arch is a unique approach to education that provides flexibility in the semester schedule, allowing students to pursue professional and personal development opportunities that prepare them to meet the multifaceted challenges of the 21st century.
In an effort to literally place the “power to prepare for the fair in the hands of Rensselaer students,” the CCPD once again offered a full-feature iPhone, iPad, and Android app. The Career Fair+ App, launched five years ago, provides students with instant access to all of the important information they would need for the Career Fair, including a map, employer profiles, the type of positions employers are recruiting for, and tips for success.
Each year, the annual CCPD Spring Career Fair attracts employers from across the country. This year, 70 employers that participated in the fair hail from New York state, including several Capital Region-based companies. In addition, several companies traveled to Troy from as far as California, Colorado, Minnesota, and Texas, while others are from areas around the Northeast. During the fair, Rensselaer undergraduate and graduate students had the opportunity to meet and talk with nearly 400 representatives and alumni/ae from public- and private-sector employers.
Participating companies included: Allegrone Construction Company, Atlas Copco Comptec, Bloomberg, Capital Bank, Carve Systems, CDPHP, Central Intelligence Agency, Datto, Deloitte, Ducommun AeroStructures, Edgewell Personal Care, Edwards Lifesciences, FactSet Research Systems, General Dynamics Electric Boat, General Dynaimcs Mission Systems, GlobalFoundries, J.D. Irving Limited, Johnson and Johnson, LaBella Associates, Los Alamos National Lab, Lutron Electronics, MathWorks, MITRE Corporation, Momentive Performance Plastics, Naval Nuclear Laboratory, nfrastructure, PiSA BioPharm Pivitol, Raytheon, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Saab Defense and Security, SABIC, Sandia National Laboratories, Shamrock Technologies, Transfinder, UTC Aerospace Systems, Vicarious Visions, W.L. Gore & Associates, Wayfair, and WB Games NY.
The fair is designed to help students support their search for full-time, co-op, internship, or summer employment opportunities. Students from all five schools at Rensselaer were encouraged to attend. After attending the Career Fair, the CCPD encourages students to follow up with employers and register to attend the many employer information sessions that take place throughout the spring semester.