Students and alumni should plan which
companies they want to visit, and in
what rder. A floor plan is available on the
CDC website.
On Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 17, WPI will host its largest career fair ever, as more than 190 companies come to campus to meet, speak with, and recruit WPI students and alumni.
Taking place from place from 12:30 to 4:30 pm at the Sports and Recreation Center, the fair is open to WPI students and alumni from all years and majors. Attendees will find a variety of opportunities for full- and part-time jobs, cooperative education experiences, and summer and academic-year internships.
As always, the fair will include a wide range of industries and employers, from local organizations to large international corporations. Two first-time attendees this year are the National Security Agency (NSA) and Cubist Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company based in Lexington, Mass., that develops antibiotics to combat superbugs.
“Our alumni are some of our best representatives.” – Steve Koppi, CDC executive director
“Cubist has recently posted several jobs with us and is looking to partner with WPI on a greater level,” says Steve Koppi, executive director of the CDC. “It will be at the fair recruiting students for co-op and summer internship opportunities in several disciplines, including electrical and computer engineering, information technology, chemical engineering, biology, management, and management engineering.”
Other companies recruiting for a broad array of positions in multiple fields include ExxonMobil, Fidelity Investments, Avery Dennison, and Raytheon. Students seeking local opportunities can speak with representatives from companies such as Bedford-based iRobot, Arcadia Healthcare Solutions in Burlington, and several global and national companies with offices in central Massachusetts, including Saint-Gobain, Hanover Insurance, Unum, and VistaPrint.
CDC Executive Director Steve Koppi said to be
prepared for interviews on the spot or the following
day. The Career Fair also offers the opportunity to
gain practice networking and speaking with recruiters.
“Our career fairs attract interest from all over and have really grown a lot over the past few years,” says Koppi. “Much of this is due to the excellent reputation of WPI students. Companies come here because they are competing to recruit top talent, and they know that our students have many highly valuable skills.”
Koppi encourages all students to come by the fair and notes that it has something to offer for everyone.
“Whether you’re a senior who will be looking for a full-time job in May, or a first year student who wants to learn about what kind of opportunities are out there for the future or to speak with employers about the types of skills they are seeking,” he says. “Students can also gain practice networking and speaking with recruiters.”
Many of those recruiters will likely be WPI alumni themselves, as companies often send WPI graduates to speak with current students.
“Our alumni are some of our best representatives,” says Koppi. “They enjoy coming back to campus, and they understand the value of unique WPI strengths such as IQPs and MQPs.”
Koppi also offers another piece of advice for all attendees: “Focus on your skills, not so much your major. Companies are looking to see what skills you can bring to them. For example, Avery Dennison is looking for highly motivated students with leadership abilities who can excel in manufacturing leadership roles coming from a variety of majors.”
CAREER FAIR RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS
A new feature this year is WPI Career Fair Plus, a free smartphone application that helps students plan for and navigate the fair. Available for Apple and Android devices, the program includes a sortable list of companies attending the fair, the floor plan, a library of handouts on job seeking skills, and a schedule of related events.
Students may take advantage of additional CDC resources before and after the fair, including a corporate interview panel starting at 6pm, where students can ask questions and network with companies including ExxonMobil, Sensata, Unum, Weston, and Sampson.
For more information on CDC career resources, visit wpi.edu/+cdc.
