Making the Most of Purdue's Career Tools

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When visiting, researching, and applying to colleges, I paid particular attention to career resources offered and statistics associated with securing jobs or continuing education upon graduation. After all, the whole objective of attending college is to secure an education that will catapult you into the field or position that you want, right? When visiting Purdue, I was impressed that over 90% of graduates had employment or continued education locked down upon graduation. This is largely due to the many tools and opportunities that are offered to Purdue students, including the Center for Career Opportunities (CCO), career fairs, and Access Alum events for Purdue women engineers.

Pictured above is me and a water control structure at my NRCS internship

The CCO is Purdue’s elite career counseling service available to all students. They have both students and experts on staff to assist with resumé preparations, mock interviews, advice for negotiating and weighing job offers, and even a closet full of professional attire that students are able to take (free of charge). With their assistance, you are sure to be prepared for all of the career fairs, recruitment events, applications for jobs or graduate/professional school, and interviews that will come your way. Through their services, the hardest part of securing an internship or job is eased.

Purdue is renowned for their job fairs that draw companies and recruiters from around the country to seek out the best and brightest engineers. There are two main engineering job fairs: the Industrial Roundtable (IR) in the fall and the EXPO fair in the spring. These fairs draw hundreds of employers looking for students to fill internship, co-op, and full-time positions, granting students the opportunity to apply the knowledge they acquired in the classroom while gaining real-world experience and building a professional network. Therefore, it is advised that all students, from freshman to seniors, attend these fairs, as everyone has a shot at securing a position and gaining experience. Attached is a picture of me surveying a water control structure at my NRCS internship that I secured from a Purdue job fair. It was such an amazing experience that taught me so many skills and ultimately ended up giving me a full-time job offer.

Finally, as a woman engineer at Purdue you are automatically enrolled in WIEP, or the Women in Engineering Program. This program offers Access Alum events where Purdue WIEP alumni come in to informally talk to current WIEP students about their experiences at Purdue, after Purdue, and in their careers over coffee and snacks. They offer valuable advice, answer questions, and occasionally accept resumés for open positions within their companies. These events not only allow questions to be answered and experiences to be shared, they also help students broaden their network and gain connections within various industries.

With these opportunities and more, it is no wonder that Purdue has such a successful post-graduation record. These tools are sure to project you to the career and position of your dreams, so be sure to take advantage of them!

Brittany Kent, Agricultural & Biological Engineering 2020
Recruitment Project Committee

Stay Connected With Purdue WIEP!

Facebook: Purdue Women in Engineering

Twitter: @purduewiep 

Instagram: @purduewiep

Blog: purduewiep.blogspot.com

Email: welink@purdue.edu



Use the hashtag #PurdueWIEP on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!


Purdue Women in Engineering

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