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Career Fairs show strong interest in Poole College students

Recruiter interest has been strong for Poole College students this academic year, with record-high participation by companies at the college's fall 2014 and spring 2015 Career and Internship Fairs, said Brian Newton, director of career development for the college’s Office of Undergraduate Programs.

“We had 113 employers at 116 booths at the spring career fair on February 6, with 21 of the companies recruiting at Poole College for the first time,” he said. The recruiting teams included Poole College and other NC State alumni, identified at their booths by ‘Alumni’ tags. The fall career fair drew 117 companies filling 122 booths. The growing recruiter interest required the college to use two rooms at the NC State McKimmon Center to accommodate the recruiters and help with traffic flow at both career fairs. "This is the first year that recruiter interest has required the additional space for company booths," Newton said.

Nearly 1,000 students attended the spring career fair and 1,157 attended the fall event, Newton said. They were aided by the NC State Career Fair app which had been launched in fall 2014. “NC State students can download the app to prepare for the career fair by researching and entering notes about companies that interest them and using the app to navigate the fair,” he said. Poole College was the first at NC State to use the Career Fair Plus app.

Special events support recruiting by program, discipline

In addition to the two annual college-wide career and internship fairs, Poole College students met with recruiters at events targeting specific degree programs or academic disciplines, including information sessions, resume reviews and other opportunities for students to meet and talk with recruiters. 

Companies recruiting undergraduate and MBA candidates for internships, co-ops and full time supply chain positions held pre-career fair events at Poole College on the evenings prior to both the fall and spring career fairs. Thirty-one employers participated on February 5 and 30 participated prior to the fall 2014 career fair, said Tracy Freeman, teaching assistant professor in supply chain management and coordinator of the recruiter event. About a dozen of those representing their companies were Poole College alumni, she said.

Undergraduate students learned from and met with recruiters during the fall Professional Development Expo and Etiquette Dinner.

Accounting firms connect with Poole College undergraduate and graduate accounting students at numerous events during the year – in addition to the career fairs, said Katherine Hansen, assistant director in career development for the college’s Department of Accounting. Included are the Tour of Cities, which takes Master of Accounting and undergraduate Accounting Internship Recruitment (AIR) students to firms in Atlanta; Charlotte; Washington, D.C.; and Greensboro. Students also participate in Meet the Firms and Corporate and Governmental Expo events held each fall. Poole College sophomores and juniors with a 3.0 GPA or greater participate in the program’s Leadership Program Fair held each January.

The college’s Jenkins MBA students met with nearly a dozen companies at the program's flagship networking event, the Jenkins MBA Mixer that was held in January. Coming up on March 26 is the annual regional MBA Career Connection, a collaborative career fair for students in MBA programs at Poole College, the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, and the Wake Forest University School of Business. 

Companies recruiting undergraduate and MBA candidates for internships, co-ops and full time positions held pre-career fair events at Poole College on the evenings prior to both the fall and spring career fairs. Thirty-one employers participated on February 5 and 30 participated prior to the fall 2014 career fair, said Tracy Freeman, teaching assistant professor in supply chain management and coordinator of the recruiter event. “Many of the recruiters brought alumni along,” said.

Master of Accounting students begin meeting with accounting firms soon after admission to the program, including Tour of Cities, Meet the Firms, and Corporate and Governmental Expo.

Undergraduate students entering the Jenkins MAC program after completing their bachelor’s degree in accounting follow a similar career development program that helps them to secure internships for the spring or summer prior to or after their senior year.

Global Luxury Management students, an option in the Master of Global Innovation Management, network with recruiters as part of their study tours, held in New York City this past fall. 

Master's and doctoral students in the Graduate Economics Program, taught jointly by Poole College's Department of Economics and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences's Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, also participate in the career fairs and utilize a Job Candidates website where prospective graduates post their resumes.

In addition, a growing number of student organizations are also holding career-focused events, such as the Meet the Pros event that has been held by the college’s student American Marketing Chapter for the past several years. 

Another way that recruiters connect with Poole College students is through sponsored projects completed through the college's initiatives and Center for Innovation Management Studies. Students present results of their projects at individual meetings with their sponsoring company officials, and many also enter their projects in the college's annual Leadership and Innovation Showcase. Recruiters are invited to this event, which is also open to the public. The college's Employer of the Year award recipient is also announced during the Showcase awards ceremony. 

Companies interested in connecting with Poole College students may submit employment opportunities to the university's ePACK system or contact Poole College career development staff members working with the college's academic programs.