Searching for Your First Professional Position

CSCE 181 Introduction to Computing

David McMahon ’69

March 2014

2

No. 2 Recruiting Schoolof Companies Recruiting New Hires

Wall Street Journal•Focus on teaching practical skills•One-stop shopping•Big student populations

Texas A&M University• Proximity to key operations

• Quality of candidates

• Breath of programs match recruiting needs

3

You Are Here!

John J. Koldus

Building

Suite 209

979-845-5139

http://careercenter.tamu.edu

cc_advisor@tamu.edu

So Are We!

5

Career Center Components

• Career Education

• Experiential Education

• Interview Services

• Former Student Services

How Employers “Grade” TAMU Students

6

Resum

es

Cover L

ette

rs

Inte

rvie

w Pre

parat

ion

Can A

rticu

late

Ski

lls

Compan

y Knowle

dge

Caree

r Dire

ctio

n

Profe

ssio

nal D

emea

nor

Mat

urity

Realis

tic E

xpec

tatio

ns0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100% ABCDF

What Should Students Research at Company Websites?

Feedback from

Students Employers

Company overview 80% 97%

Products/Services 56% 77%

Career Opportunity 75% 68%

Location 46% 45%

Financial 15% 13%

Division 25% 6%7

Career Direction

• What brings that sparkle to your eye or fire in your belly?

• What are the 3 to 5 things you see yourself doing with your degree for my company?

• What in my job description excited you, that you see yourself doing?

• Why are you the best person to fill my job, not just qualified to do my job?

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What Employers Value When Selecting Full-time Employees

TAMU National

Internships/Co-ops 100% 83%

Personality/Social Skills 97%

Creativity/Problem Solving 95%

Technical/Academic Skills 92%

GPA 92%Leadership in Professional Organization 90% 69%

Leadership in Non-professional Organization 64% 48%

Part-time job 54%

Volunteer engagement 45% 46%

Senior Design Projects 40% 71%

AggiExternship 26%

Research with Faculty 19% 52%

Study Abroad 15% 38%

Work Abroad 11% 54%

Career Education

Website Resources • Salary and Relocation Statistics• Resume Templates• Career Tube• AFS Find an Aggie• Online Resources

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Career development/exploration resources

Air Jobs Career Beam CareerSearch Career Shift

Eco Jobs Going Global Internships.com Internships USA

Virtual Mock Interview Jobweb

Oil & Gas Journal SIGI3

Sports Job Board UniWorld

Vault WetFeet.com

Washington Information Directory

Career EducationOnline Resources

Career Education Advising

• Walk-in Advising & Resume Reviews: 8:30-11:00am and 1:30-4:00pm (M-F) 209 Koldus and various campus locations

• Individual Appointments (call 845-5139)• E-mail: cc_advisor@tamu.edu• http://HireAggies.com• Helpful staff

Career Education Workshops

• CO-OP Orientation• Resume Writing• How to “Work” Career Fairs• Job & Internship Search Strategies• Behavioral Interviewing Skills• Mock Interviews & Interview Coaching• The Company Visit Interview• Salary Evaluation/Negotiation• Business Ethics• Dress for Success & Dining Etiquette• Federal Employment Forum• Applying to Graduate School• I’ve Got the Job! Now What??

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Experiential Education

• AggiExternship 2014• 1 Day Visit by Students• Day-to-day Work of Someone in Your Major• 40 Host Companies• 55 Locations• 953 Students Invited• 763 Students Participated• Austin, B/CS, Beaumont,

Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Tyler, San Antonio

• Open to all Colleges• AggiExternship 2015

• January 13th, 14th, 15th, & 16th

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Experiential Education

• Cooperative Education Multiple work terms; Receive course credit; Always paid

• InternshipsTypically in summer; Usually paid; Course credit possible

• Volunteer WorkCommunity service related

• Friendly Staff

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Experiential Education

BENEFITS• Confirms your choice of major• Gain professional work experience• Increases marketability upon graduation• Meet amazing people • Network and gain valuable contacts• Apply classroom theory to real-world settings

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Interview Services

HireAggies.com

You have already paid for it!!!!!!

No charge to Employers!!

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Interview Services

Job Posting ServicesEmployers Registered to:•Post positions - New Hire, Co-op,

Intern, Experienced•Collect and search resumes

Students Registered to:•Apply for positions•Manage job search process•Sign up for interviews

HireAggies.com Services•Personal Advising and Workshops•Job Postings

Interviews I Qualify ForJobs I Qualify For (screening only)Jobs I Qualify For (all)

Interview Services

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Key Tabs

Key Data

Interview Services2012 -2013

Companies• 3,700+ actively recruiting for full-time, co-op,

and internships Postings

• 10,500+ Interview Schedules & Job Postings On-campus interviews

• 16,000+ conducted – Whoop! Resume Drops

• 160,000+ submitted

Career Fairs

• Agriculture• Architecture• Business• Camp Day• Construction• Education• Engineering• Geosciences• Graduate and

Professional School

• Health Professions• Industrial Distribution• Landscape Architecture

& Urban Planning• Liberal Arts• Law School Caravan• Overseas Day• Retailing• Sciences

Other Texas A&M vs. Engineering Graduates Outcomes - Fall 2013

23Other TAMU Graduates

All Engr Graduates

Other TAMU Bachelors

All Engr Bachelors

2% 1% 3% 1%

29%18%

30%17%

22%

8%

25%

10%

10%

9%

11%

8%

36%

65%

32%

64%

Employed

Offers, Still Seeking

Graduate School

No Job Offer

Not Seeking

TAMU Bachelors Grads Starting Salaries - Fall 2012

24Vet & Biomed Sciences Average

Sciences Average

Liberal Arts Average

Geosciences Average

Education Average

Business Average

Architecture Average

Ag & Life Sciences Average

Engineering Maximum

Engineering Average

Engineering Minimum

$25,000

$53,320

$44,491

$51,563

$42,771

$54,180

$54,167

$42,754

$110,000

$67,473

$40,000

TAMU Bachelors Grads Starting Salaries - Fall 2012

25University Studies-ENTCPetroleum Engineering

Ocean Engineering Nuclear Engineering

Mechanical Engineering Industrial & Systems Engineering

Industrial Distribution Engineering Technology

Electrical Engineering Computer Science

Computer Engineering - ELEN Computer Engineering - CPSC

Civil Engineering Chemical Engineering

Biomedical Engineering Biological & Ag Engineering

Aerospace Engineering

$64,167$91,500

$71,600$59,133

$75,258$63,531

$58,993$61,600

$66,893$61,250$63,333

$76,917$61,273

$79,333$0

$63,000$65,203

Final Thought

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.“ - Walt Disney

“The man who waits for just the right time to start never gets anywhere.” - Roger W Babson - Entrepreneur and business theorist

Start at least 2 semesters

before you want to go to work! 

Questions?

We’ve Got Answers!