Written by Morgan Laajala, Communications Intern, Career Services
“Network with company reps as much as possible. Having that personal connection with someone… is very helpful on the job hunt.” -Allison Dorn, Mechanical Engineering Student at Michigan Tech.
Allison already had an internship lined up for Summer 2017, but she still wanted to attend the Spring 2017 Career Fair. She went with no expectations and received a co-op offer for Spring 2018- one year away.
Allison knows it’s important to stay relevant, so she attends career events like industry days, employer info sessions, resume blitz, mock interviews, and the Career Fair cookout. Her goal is to brush up on her interview skills and distribute her resume.
Allison became interested in Kimberly-Clark when they hosted an event with the Society of Women Engineers.
At Career Fair, she noticed there were no students lined up at Kimberly-Clark. She went to talk to them on a whim. Knowing she had her internship coming up, she wasn’t looking for anything but a conversation. After a great conversation with a KC rep, they wanted to interview her for a Spring 2018 co-op. Allison scheduled her interview for the following day and received an offer two days after Career Fair.
Allison advises other students to “network before career fair, during different company info sessions and at Career Services’ events- so that when you get to career fair you already have established relationships.”
Allison also advises students to always be prepared. She says, “The two weeks before career fair, you should have resumes on you at all times! You never know when you will have a chance to give it to a company rep!”
Written by Morgan Laajala, Communications Intern, Career Services
Sooraj Rehan 
is a mechanical engineer heading to Cummins, Inc. to pursue a full-time position.
Sooraj created a clear career path for himself to find success. Sooraj focused on the kind of career he wanted and the companies he was interested in working for. He chose relevant classes and coursework, worked hard to get good grades, and completed an internship. Sooraj applied for hundreds of jobs before landing an offer from Cummins, Inc.
Part of Sooraj’s personal career journey was to take advantage of CareerFEST resources at Michigan Tech. Sooraj attended employer meet and greets, a mock interview, and an advising appointment.
Sooraj’s advice to other students is, “Have a clear goal and do not be distracted by anything else. Hard work is life.”
Written by Morgan Laajala, Communications Intern, Career Services
Rylee Price is heading to Greenheck for a Production Supervisor co-op this spring. She went to Career Fair with one goal: to prove that her mathematics and psychology majors are useful to recruiting companies.
Rylee scheduled an interview with Greenheck and attended their Co-op Day. She interviewed with five different recruiters who were looking to hire co-ops. Riley used Co-op Day to network, show off her skill set, and ask questions about available positions.
Rylee’s advice for other students is to be yourself! She says, “Be confident in who you are and your capabilities. Be willing to learn, accept challenges, and make mistakes. Don’t fear rejection, and be ready to put yourself out there. The greatest advice I could give is to know how to market yourself!”
Written by Communications Intern- Morgan Laajala.
Written by Morgan Laajala, Communications Intern at Career Services
Aaron Christianson first applied to work at the Musical Theatre of Wichita, but he didn’t have a well-written cover letter. His resume never made it to the boss.
After working with a faculty member at Michigan Tech, Aaron re-wrote his cover letter and sent out eight applications to different companies – within two days he had multiple responses.
He sent out his applications on Friday, had two scheduled interviews on Saturday, and two job offers the following Thursday. Aaron credits this success to his updated cover letter. During his interview with the Utah Festival Opera, Aaron had an immediate connection with the Technical Director, the Upper Peninsula. The director’s son was attending Lake Superior State University, which Michigan Tech had just “proudly destroyed in hockey,” as Aaron put it. Ultimately, Aaron chose to take the position with the Utah Festival Opera.
Aaron’s advice to other students is, “Don’t sell yourself short. Tech is an amazing school that gives students skills most other universities ignore, and that makes us very valuable as employees and leaders.”
Aaron is a Theatre & Entertainment Technology student at Michigan Technological University.
Matthew had an internship in the planning department for ITC this past summer. He was the first intern the economic planning group ever hired, and Matthew’s skills and motivation exceeded his supervisor’s expectations. At the end of his internship, Matthew was offered a full-time position starting after graduation.Matthew’s advice to other students is to network, network, network! He advises students to, “Go out and meet with as many recruiters as you can. Start networking companies early. They will remember you throughout your time at Michigan Tech.”
“Go to industry days, go to Career Fair, go to as many events as possible. By going to these events, you will meet recruiters that will know you by name.”