Poole students: Recruiters are looking forward to meeting you at the Sept. 6 Expo

While most Poole College undergraduate students were away for the summer, their career development staff members were working with company recruiters on a new approach to professional development, one that connects recruiters and students at the very start of the academic year.

That ‘connecting’ will take place on Friday, September 6, during Poole College’s first Professional Development Expo in Nelson Hall, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“This may seem early in the year for students who are just settling into their new course schedules, but employers have been asking to meet with our students as early in the school  year as possible,” Newton said.

“They also want to help our students prepare well for career fairs, internships and other professional experiences,” he said. That interest has led to creation of the Professional Development Expo, with eight of the college’s key recruiting companies offering to present individual workshops.

“Recruiters and managers will be providing information that will be useful in any career situation as well as deeper insight about their individual companies,” Newton said. “We expect this real world perspective will be extremely valuable to our students.”

One additional workshop, on professional networking for students, will be led by Steven Miller, a Poole College senior in business administration and a collegiate member of the Triangle-area chapter of BNI (Business Networking International), a global professional networking association. Miller will lead a peer-to-peer session based on his experiences with professional networking through several Triangle area organizations.

The Expo concludes with a networking event for student workshop participants and recruiters. Students must register and attend at least one of the sessions to participate in the networking event.

“I strongly encourage students to register and come prepared to learn from the recruiters themselves what it is they are looking for when considering candidates for internships or full time positions,” Newton said.

Expo format

The Expo can accommodate up to 250 students; 100 students had already registered by the first day of classes on August 21. Registration will remain open until all slots are filled.

This new Expo format replaces most of the workshops that had previously been offered by the undergraduate career development team throughout the year, Newton said. Students who are not able to attend can review summaries of the presentations that will be posted on the undergraduate career development website after the event.  

“Those who do attend will have the added benefit of the in-person discussions that will take place as part of this afternoon program and especially during the networking event at the close of the Expo,” he said.

Registration Info

Students can pick from a total of nine workshops that will be presented in two blocks of time, with one block of sessions starting at 1:30 p.m., and the second at 2:30 p.m.

“Each workshop will last about 45 minutes,” Newton said. The Expo ends with a networking event for students and all the workshop presenters. The networking session will begin at 3:30 p.m., in the Nelson Commons and adjacent hallways.

To register, students need to log into ePACK, then click on Events, then Workshops, and then select the individual Professional Development Expo sessions that they plan to attend. Check-in for the September 6 Expo will begin at 12:00 p.m. in the Nelson Hall East Courtyard.

Attire for this event is business casual. 

About the Expo presenters

• Vanguard: Rebecca Taylor, university relations specialist, speaking on the topic, “Build Your Career,” including how to identify companies and make good use of career development resources.
• E&J Gallo Winery: Missy Crain, regional manager for sales training and recruiting, speaking on the topic, “Interviewing,” including types of interviews, questions, more.
• GlaxoSmithKline: Renee Wooten, university recruitment manager, speaking on the topic, “Ethical issues and interviewing,” including use of social media, negotiations, considering a job offer.
• Target: Lindsay Johnson, staffing specialist, speaking on the topic, “Getting Your Foot in The Door: Resumes and Beyond.”
• Credit Suisse: Kristin Freas, assistant vice president, speaking on the topic, “Preparing for a Successful Internship.”
• Cisco Systems: Melanie-Lark Benning, university connection specialist, speaking on the topic, “Business Communication and Image Management.
• IBM: Mary-Peyton Amburn, university recruiting programs/U.S. recruiting branding lead, speaking on the topic, “From Student to Professional: How to build your professional brand and engage with future employers.”
• Deloitte: Neha Sawhney, Southeast campus recruiter, speaking on the topic, “Succeeding in the first year of your new job.”
• Peer-to-Peer Presenter: Steve Miller, Poole College senior and collegiate representative, BNI, speaking on the topic, “Bridge The Gap – Professional Networking for Students.”

Additional Poole Undergraduate Career Development Opportunities

Poole College’s undergraduate career development staff will present two or three additional workshops later in the fall to help students continue preparing for the career and internship fair. They also are arranging for individual companies for present information sessions, resume reviews and other career-related events at Nelson Hall.

Students are encouraged to schedule individual coaching sessions with Poole College’s undergraduate career development team and to take advantage of other services offered by Poole College’s undergraduate career development staff, including using the college’s Career Resources Guide.

Signature professional development events 

• Fall Career and Internship Fair (open to all NC State students and alumni), October 16, 2013
• Fall Wells Fargo Executive Series presentations, October 2 and November 6, 2013
• Annual Etiquette Dinner and Networking event, Wednesday, October 30, 2013 for Poole undergraduates only [check ePACK for registration details in mid-September]
• Spring Career and Internship Fair, February 7, 2014, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Spring Wells Fargo Executive Series presentations (dates TBA)
• Poole College’s annual Leadership and Innovation Showcase (recruiters are invited).

Check the Poole College’s Career Prep web pages for additional career development announcements. Also, watch for the career team's weekly Jobs Blast email message with internship and employment announcements.