updated October 20, 2006

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s popular fall career fair offered as many opportunities for the visiting companies and as it did the students, according to recruiters and students that were standing on both sides of the job search process October 18 throughout the field house area of the college’s Sports and Recreation Center.

Lots of Opportunities: The fact that 440 recruiters from 178 companies plan to attend Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's fall career fair gives students several options for finding full time, internship and co-op positions.

Alumni Provide Vital Link to Career Fair

The event attracted 440 recruiters from 178 companies throughout the United States -– hoping to meet and interview engineering, science, computer science and mathematics students for full time, internship and co-op positions. Many companies planned to remain on campus October 19 to conduct interviews with prospective job candidates.

“The career fair offers an easy way for students to talk in person with organizations recruiting for positions. Companies came to them -- knocking on their door. For many Rose-Hulman students, all they have to do is open the door,” states Kevin Hewerdine, Rose-Hulman’s director of career services and employer relations. He reports that the number of recruiters attending the fall career fair increased for the third straight year. "Rose-Hulman students should reap the benefits of another strong job market," Hewerdine said.

This year's fall career fair attracted companies from as far away as San Diego, Calif. (Solar Turbine); Dallas, Texas (Texas Instruments); St. Paul, Minn. (Guidant) and Worcester, Mass. (Babcock Power). Other national companies on the list include Caterpillar, Raytheon, Frito Lay, Lexmark, Microsoft and Owens-Illinois.

Indiana companies that attended include Eli Lilly and Company, Allison Transmission, Beckman Coulter, HNTB Corporation and Roche Diagnostics, all of Indianapolis; Boston Scientific, Spencer; Cummins Inc., Columbus; Subaru, Lafayette; Zimmer, Warsaw; Red Gold, Orestes; Cives Steel, Wolcott; and the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane.

Looking For Engineers: John Kellam (middle), plant manager for South Carolina-based Milliken & Company, spends time talking to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology students during one of the college's three career fairs last year.

Wabash Valley firms on the list were Bemis Company and Hannum Wagle & Cline, both of Terre Haute; TRW Automotive of Marshall, Ill.; and Hoosier Energy of Sullivan.

Corporations recruit at Rose-Hulman because of the quality of alumni and students making significant contributions in the workforce, according to a survey of recruiters attending past career fairs.

Student participation on such innovative student design projects as the Challenge X team impresses Malcolm McIntyre, assistant manager of powertrain and chassis purchasing for Toyota Motor Manufacturing. Rose-Hulman is one of just 17 North American colleges and universities selected to compete in three-year project to re-engineer a gasoline-powered vehicle into a hybrid to minimize energy consumption and improve emissions.

“The way Rose-Hulman educates is outside the ‘box’. There’s something special going on here that’s very attractive to us,” McIntyre said. “Rose-Hulman graduates become model employees: They have good communication skills, they pay attention to detail and have a strong work ethic. It’s no surprise that they’re successful.”

John Kellam, plant manager for South Carolina-based Milliken & Company, agrees, stating, “Rose-Hulman graduates are dedicated, responsible and have an excellent work ethic. They also possess the problem-solving skills and community skills that will make them successful throughout their careers.”

Matt Johnson, systems engineer with Guidant Corporation’s St. Paul, Minn., office adds: “The work ethic is the element that makes a Rose-Hulman graduate stand above others. They ask the right questions and are diligent, ensuring that the job gets done on time. Technical knowledge is a given when you’re talking about a Rose-Hulman graduate. It’s the other things (communication and team work skills) they bring that make them special.”

Impressed With Rose-Hulman Students: Malcolm McIntyre (left), assistant manager of powertrain and chassis purchasing for Toyota Motor Manufacturing, says Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology graduates become model employees and problem-solvers. "There’s something special going on here that’s very attractive to us,” he says.

A committee comprised of nearly 95 students has spent the past year assisting the Office of Career Services in organizing the event. The committee co-chairs are Catherine Walker, a senior biomedical engineering major, and Adam Kirn, a junior biomedical engineering major. Hewerdine says corporate recruiters like to see students taking an active role in the job search process. The committee’s goals this year were to attract new companies, firms from a wider geographic area and companies that offer job prospects for students in all academic majors.

Those goals have been met. Twenty-five percent of the companies attending the fall career fair have not recruited at Rose-Hulman, according to Hewerdine.

“I really like working with so many other students to put together such a big event,” Walker said. “Hearing about interviews and (job) offers that students get as a result of all the hard work makes it worth all the time and energy put into organizing the career fair.

“Students should come to the career fair because these companies are very interested in recruiting Rose-Hulman students. The one-on-one contact and networking opportunities are invaluable,” Walker said.

Last year’s fall career fair paved the way for Jennifer Frey, a senior chemical engineering major, to find a summer internship at Milliken & Company. She has now accepted a full time position at the company’s magnolia finishing plant.

“Students need to be prepared,” advised Frey, who is co-chair of the career fair’s recruitment committee. “Last year, I looked at the company list online and found all the companies that were looking for people in my major that I might be interested in working for. I did some research and then mapped out my plan for talking to the companies at the career fair so I wasn't just aimlessly walking around.”

Rose-Hulman alumni also play a vital role in the career fair’s success, Hewerdine advises. Forty-eight percent of companies attending the career fair will be represented by an alumnus, and 154 alumni are registered to be among the 440 company representatives at the booths.

“The alumni network is vital to spreading Rose-Hulman’s reputation across the country,” Hewerdine said. “It also is a great indicator of the passion Rose-Hulman alumni have in giving back to the school.”

Ninety-seven percent of Rose-Hulman’s 2006 graduates had found full time employment, planned to attend graduate school or accepted military commissions by the end of July. The average starting salary for last year’s RHIT graduates was approximately $54,100 -– higher than the national average for engineering and science graduates.

On The Web:
www.rose-hulman.edu/careerservices/CAREER_FAIRS_STUDENT.htm

Companies planning to attend Rose-Hulman’s Fall Career Fair include: