Poole Career Fair: Students Arrive Well Prepared, Recruiters Say
Nearly 120 companies and more than 1250 NC State students connected at the NC State Poole College of Management’s Fall Career and Internship Fair held Friday, September 29, at the NC State McKimmon Center. The career fair was open to all NC State students and alumni interested in business-related positions.
That event culminated a series of opportunities provided by the Poole College of Management Career Center for the college’s students and recruiters to meet and discuss internship and career options.
Featured pre-career fair events were the college’s Fifth Annual Professional Development Expo and two new Poole College events: the Innovation in Inclusion breakfast and the Career Insights panel discussion.
Poole College initiatives and student clubs also hosted special events, such as the supply chain pre-career fair evening with Supply Chain Resource Cooperative partner companies, and the Careers in Sustainability discussion by Katie Koss, author of “Profession and Purpose: A Resource Guide for MBA Careers in Sustainability,” hosted by the Business Sustainability Collaborative. Several individual student professional associations also arranged career-related events for their members.
This year, the college also welcomed recruiters to the new Poole College Career Center, which includes on-site and virtual interview rooms located on the first floor of Nelson Hall.
“This area has been very busy this fall semester with employer interviews and student meetings, peer career coach drop-ins, and other career team activities,” said Brian Newton, director of undergraduate programs, Poole College Career Center. Employers who want to interview students on campus may contact the Poole College Center at 919-515-7174.
Why Companies Recruit Here
Cisco: “… because of the caliber of the students: Well prepared for the roles that they will be fulfilling. They are comfortable asking questions, confident and not arrogant. We hire more from NC State than any other university in the United States; a lot of that is from the business school.” – Kiley Dove university relations manager
LORD: “We find a lot of value in the b-school. We know the classes here are designed to prepare students for what they will see in the real world, and students come out prepared, with a willingness to work, get out and do things.” – Mark Tate, business development specialist (Poole College and College of Humanities and Social Sciences, ‘16)
About his own preparation, Tate, who was a Hamilton Scholar, said, “I never really would have thought I would do much with the international aspect, but when I joined LORD … it’s an extremely global company and over half my projects are overseas, and the experience that I got in study abroad – how to communicate with people overseas – that was extremely beneficial. People take it for granted that people are the same (everywhere). They are not.”
Johnson Lambert LLP: “A lot of people (at the firm) went to State. From everything that I’ve seen, the people coming from Poole are well prepared.” – Brittany King, tax associate (Poole, B.S. accounting,’16; Jenkins MAC, ’17)
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency: (part of the U.S. Treasury): “The financial background that people get here is great, in particular in financial analysis, analytical skills. We were very impressed with what they learned.” – Caroline Knight, associate national bank examiner
Global Bankers Insurance Group: “Located in Durham, we went from four to 80 people last year, and are recruiting for all roles: technology, finance, operations, entrepreneurial, and have been meeting with some of the program leaders in Poole College.” – Joe Lurie, chief information officer
Arysta: “We have had a number of NC State interns and new hires in the past years, and they have been great for our company: good character, good cultural fit, willing to work hard, adapt, embrace.” – Dan Sanchez, global supply chain manager
Hershey: “This is our first time at Poole. Looking at resumes, we see the students’ professionalism. They are really leading the conversation when they come to us. They have done their research, know why we are here, understand the company, and what we are recruiting for. Impressed.” – Kristen Allred, Raleigh district sales manager
Target: “I love to come back and recruit there. Such great talent and great batch of interns from last year. Good supply chain pipeline from Poole. We love our NC State students, good work ethic, enthusiastic, passionate, come to work day every day with a great attitude; find them here at NC State every year.” – Courtney Shillings, store team leader (Jenkins MBA, ’06), and Desiree Devonish, executive team lead (NC State, ’16)
Caterpillar: “Wide range of experiences and backgrounds, such as a student who had been in the Hong Kong program. These transition into (being) a good candidate, bringing a wide range of perspective, insights, that lead to the best solutions. – Emily Tuttle, buyer, building construction products, Caterpillar, Inc. (Jenkins MBA ’14)
Genworth Financial: “We find a lot of overall interest in mathematics and finance in the students who come to our table. We use a lot of math and analytics, so it’s good to talk with people who have that numbers experience, makes an easy transition into the company if you understand the numbers behind the business. It’s good to see the students coming out (of the college) – the best students year after year, high energy, passion, excited about what they’re interested in, and we are here to help them find that path. – Quincy Amekuedi, recruiting lead (B.S., apparel and textile marketing management, ’11)
