Networkin’ it up at the Career Fair

This year’s Winter Career Fair had the highest recorded number of companies in attendance. On Wednesday January 24, representatives from 131 companies manned tables in the Sports and Recreation Center in hopes of recruiting Rose-Hulman students. However, as Assistant Director of Career Services and Employer Relations Charity Mouck stated, “Companies coming to Rose is only part of the success. Student participation is key.”

Photo: Andrew Carlson Students talk to recruiters at this year’s Winter Career Fair. More than 130 companies attended the fair.

According to Mouck, It’s the student participation that draws companies to Rose Career Fairs. At the end of each fair, Mouck says she frequently hears companies commenting on how well prepared and well spoken the students at Rose consistently are. But what drives a company to send representatives to Terre Haute to seek out potential interns or full-time employees? For companies such as Texas Instruments, participation meant traveling from Dallas, Texas.

Matt Sunna, one of the company’s employees commented that “Rose-Hulman produces awesome graduates” and that is a reason that they have decided to participate in the fair. This decision was also made due in large part to the influence of a Rose-Hulman graduate within the company.

The same reasons applied to Aprimo, a software development company. Part of their desire to come to Rose can be summed up in a single gesture. When asked why they came to Rose, Talent Recruiter MT Ray simply turned and pointed at her co-worker, Vice President of Software Engineering Tim Sublette. Sublette is a 1995 graduate of Rose-Hulman and an example to the company of the quality of engineer Rose-Hulman educates. The small Indiana company is very impressed with the way the Rose-Hulman curriculum matches up with what their company does. They also feel assured that any student from Rose will be well educated and prepared for jumping into a career.

What draws students to the career fair? For some, it’s the ability to potentially achieve that first step toward a job - the interview. Others see it as a great networking opportunity and are more than excited to talk to every company that will speak with them in order to make potential contacts. Sophomore chemical engineer Rachel McHenry also enjoys the free items companies hand out in order to get your attention. She was excited to discover that one of the items she received was a ratchet set, one of the most unusual things she has ever received.

Mouck pointed out that the career fairs are “One, if not the biggest way students network with companies.” Although she does not keep track of how many interviews are aquired as a direct result of the fair, she does keep records on graduating seniors and their job plans. One of the questions the seniors are asked is how they made contact with the company. A large number of the contacts are first made through on campus recruiting.