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Science and Technology Job Fair helps students find fulfilling work

by David Barry

When Kathleen Mulcahy '01, a program manager at Microsoft Corp., first began pursuing her career goals in her junior year, she wasn't clear about the direction of her future work life.

"I was a computer science engineer and thought I might like a job coding in Java," Ms. Mulcahy said. "Through Career Services, however, I found an internship that helped me realize that Java coding was not what I wanted to do."

In her senior year, Ms. Mulcahy went to the Science and Technology Job Fair, an annual event that is organized by the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) Office of Undergraduate Affairs.

It was at the Job Fair that she met recruiters at the Microsoft booth and learned firsthand about working at Microsoft and about the position of program manager.

What she learned was that the job allowed her to design new features in products and to define the product's goals and feature set, which greatly appealed to her.

"As a program manager, I'm part of the design team," she said, "so I can have a large impact, especially because I'm working on a brand-new product, so the sky's the limit."

Job fair for engineers

The Science and Technology Job Fair is held each fall and provides students with invaluable opportunities to speak directly with people on the inside of various companies and really understand the company's culture.

"The Science and Technology Job Fair not only gives graduating students an opportunity to look for full-time careers, but also introduces younger students to the companies that are interested in hiring our students," said Peter Bogucki, SEAS associate dean for undergraduate affairs.

The job fair is open to all members of the Princeton community and is attended by several hundred undergraduate and graduate students who interested in technical careers.

At this year's fair, students could have spoken at length not only to Ms. Mulcahy, but also with two other Princeton alumni in the Microsoft booth who work as software design engineers.

A visitor could have learned some of the nitty-gritty from the inside, such as: what is the dress code really like (casual), how flexible are the working hours (very, at least for software design engineers), and how much can you earn (there was a lot of hedging on this one, but starting salaries seem to be in the $50K range).

Schlumberger, a global technology services company with more than 80,000 people empolyed in 100 countries, was at this year's Job Fair looking to fill some of the 400 field engineer spots that are available.

This entry-level position involves actual work at oilfields around the world, taking measurements and working with highly sophisticated equipment.

"Schlumberger has a strong culture of promoting from within, so this is a great opportunity to work anywhere in the world, get excellent training, and get in on the ground floor," said Kari Anne Hoier Kjolaas, Technology Center Recruiting Coordinator, North America at Schlumberger.

"We look for a solid engineering background, good people skills, students who are passionate about what they do, and good problem solvers. In addition to salary, we provide an operating bonus for each job the employee works on."

Schlumberger and Microsoft are two of the 41 companies that were represented in this year's science and technology job fair.

"Although we had fewer companies than in previous years due to cutbacks in corporate recruiting, we are very pleased that those who attended recognize the quality of Princeton students and the need to sustain a connection with them," Dean Bogucki said.

Ryan Arnold '01, a business analyst at Capital One, said he worked with counselors at Career Services to polish his résumé, and he also used the tools on the Web site.

"But for me, the Job Fair was the best place," he said. "By being at the Job Fair and speaking to various companies, I realized that Capital One was an interesting place to work. I could see that they would provide a unique way for me to use my engineering skills by applying them to real problems to generate real revenue.

"I made my first contact for an internship here at the job fair and followed it up with interviews on campus. Soon after the internship, they offered me a full-time job," he said.

Photo by Frank Wojciechowski

Bryan Peters, a recruiter with the Central Intelligence Agency, chats with Tom Crowley '03, an electrical engineering major.

Photo by Frank Wojciechowski

Representatives Kathleen Mulcahy '01 (center) and Robin Giese (right) tell students about employment opportunities with Microsoft.

Additional resources available for job seekers

In addition to the Science and Technology Job Fair held each fall, engineering students can tap into Princeton Career Services for the following assistance:

* Career counseling on an individual basis.

* Career assessment to help identify and clarify interests, values, and personality and can include assessment tests such as the Strong Interest Inventory or the Myers- Briggs Type Indicator^®.

* Workshops and career programs, including skill-building workshops such as how to find an internship, career decision making, résumé writing, and getting into graduate or professional school.

* Career Week, a series of career conversations and programs designed to showcase careers of interest to Princeton students.

* Job search assistance that allows students to work with career counselors and create a personal job search plan.

* Internships that include an online tool, TigerTracks (eRecruiting), a searchable database listing thousands of paid, stipend, and volunteer positions from around the world.

* Alumni Careers Network, an online, searchable database of Princeton alumni who have volunteered to provide career-related advice to Princeton students and fellow alumni.

"The important thing for engineering students to understand is that Career Services is not a placement agency, like it used to be 10 or 15 years ago," said Elisa Wilk, career counselor for engineering students at Career Services.

"The whole field of career services has changed with the information economy and with rapid technology change. Now, we promote career development, helping students discover what they really want to do.

"Most important, we help them to learn life-long skills such as informational interviewing and doing Internet research that they can use at various junctures in their career journey," Ms. Wilk concluded.

 

How did Class of 2002 fair? The Class of 2002 faced a difficult job market and this influenced the paths its members chose. For example, 27 percent of seniors decided to pursue graduate school, up from 19 percent in 2001. Meanwhile, 25 percent left Princeton with a full-time job, down from 36 percent in 2001. Here is the average salary information for the Class of 2002: Chemical engineering $52,222 Civil and environmental engineering $48,600 Computer science $62,206 Electrical engineering $58,283 Mechanical engineering $52,578 Operations research and financial engineering $53,932