On Wednesday, Oct. 20, the University of Maine hosted its annual Engineering Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Students could register using their CareerLink profiles. A wide variety of well-known engineering companies were in attendance including Texas Instruments, Pratt & Whitney and Bath Iron Works. All engineering students were invited to attend and going to the event was highly recommended. At this event, students had the opportunity to network with top ranked engineering companies in order to submit their resume, meet people from the companies and possibly secure interviews for internships and jobs in the future. This year, the fair was held virtually due to safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Career Center at UMaine was in charge of putting together the engineering job fair. On their website, they made a list of things students were supposed to do before attending the fair in order to get the most out of the experience. They recommended that students make sure their CareerLink profile was up to date so employers would see the most relevant information.
Next, they asked students to ensure they were properly registered for the event and suggested that students reach out to employers that matched with their major and skillset. Students were then encouraged to strategize which employers to videochat with during the fair, and if they were offered interviews or had additional questions they should make a follow-up appointment with the Career Center. Students were also told to dress professionally and to consider these online meetings as miniature interviews with the companies.
Companies were also given a guide to abide by. At least one representative from each company was required to be online in order to interview students during the fair. If a student sent an RSVP to a company, it indicated that they were excited to chat with a representative. Companies can send invitations to these students who have shown interest and if their course of study aligns with the companies’ vision.
Even though the job fair was held unconventionally online, the students in attendance still felt like it was a beneficial experience. Dillon Rose, a fourth-year electrical engineering student, attended the job fair this past Wednesday. He felt like the job fair was worthwhile and lived up to his expectations.
“It was very beneficial for me. I ended up speaking to Texas Instruments, OnSemi, STMicroelectronics, Cascodium and Allegro MicroSystems. I actually preferred meeting with them on Zoom,” Rose said. “I was able to speak to them one-on-one without worrying about the people in line behind me. I was talking with them personally instead of just saying ‘Hi!’ and dropping off my resume. I was able to make better impressions because of this and hopefully will get interviews from these companies.”
Even though the engineering job fair is not yet able to be back in-person, students are still able to reap its benefits. If students who attended the job fair need any assistance with career related questions, UMaine’s Career Center is happy to help. Students can make an appointment by emailing umainecareercenter@maine.edu or by calling 207-581-1359.
