Career Fair Recruiters Speak!
By Phaedra Brotherton
We are able to identify candidates for…the United States and Canada at the same time, which is a winning formula for us as a globally integrated enterprise.”
— Tionna Michelle Prescott, IBM
“As NSBE beefs up its international piece, that will help us, as well.”
— Alysia Green, Chevron
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“NSBE has been a valuable resource for achieving our recruitment goals.”
— John Campagnino, Accenture
The Career Fair at the NSBE Annual Convention is a prime opportunity to make great connections and meet potential employers face-to-face.
And for recruiters, the NSBE Career Fair is a great way to meet outstanding internship and job candidates from around the country. Here’s an inside look at what three NSBE Board of Corporate Affiliates members — Chevron Corporation, IBM Corporation and Accenture — will be seeking in candidates at this year’s fair.
The global energy company Chevron sees the Career Fair as a great way to get to know outstanding engineering students from across the country.
“We get to see students from campuses we don’t normally get a chance to visit,” says Alysia Green, business development manager for Chevron, which is based in San Ramon, Calif.
Chevron has had good success at past Career Fairs, says Green. The company has found the NSBE Online database a useful tool for sorting through candidates before the convention. Company recruiters often set up interviews with prescreened candidates for the Thursday morning Career Fair session.
So, Green advises keeping your resume and information in the NOL database current. Chevron representatives also set up interviews with candidates during the Career Fair to see if there’s a fit. If so, they schedule follow-up interviews.
Likewise, IBM and Accenture see the NSBE Career Fair as an opportunity to connect with many highly qualified candidates for internships and entry- and higher-level positions. Tionna Michelle Prescott, one of IBM’s diversity recruiting team leaders for the U.S., says IBM will be advertising positions on the NSBE Online Job Posting Service. She encourages job seekers to “do a bit of research to determine which business units are more in line with their career plans, where they may be interested in working, and who from the IBM recruiting team they might like to meet while at the NSBE convention.”
The global management consulting company Accenture is coming to the fair specifically to interview candidates for entry-level consulting analyst positions.
“Our goal is to extend several offers for both full-time and internship opportunities after the conference,” says John Campagnino, Accenture’s senior director of Global Recruitment.
Who’s in Demand?
All of the companies look for students with good leadership skills and good academic preparation. Accenture is looking for candidates with good problem-solving skills and a customer service orientation.
“We look for candidates with proven leadership abilities and analytical skills, as well as those who can think creatively and are interested in a career in a dynamic, client-oriented company,” says Campagnino. “Candidates should have an understanding of the type of work Accenture does,” he says.
Chevron seeks candidates in all engineering disciplines — from chemical to electrical to mechanical to computer — as well as those with IT degrees, says Green. In general, the company hires for two sides of the company: the upstream side, which deals with exploring and producing natural gas, and the downstream side, which handles the refining, distributing and manufacturing business, she says. Chevron also looks for people who are flexible and mobile. Most of the company’s internships are in Houston, Texas, San Ramon, Calif., or the Gulf Coast area, Green says. Mobility is valued in both internships and full-time positions.
IBM is looking for students with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and mathematics for its software, hardware and consulting business segments. IBM is also looking for students and professionals who possess great leadership skills and those that have either applicable job experience or internship experience.
“We want well-rounded people, not just those with great academic performance but the ‘soft’ skills, as well,” says Prescott.
IBM will also be looking for candidates for sales, distribution and global technology services, she says.
Expanding the Net
All three companies are looking forward to meeting as many students as possible in Toronto at NSBE’s first Annual Convention outside of the U.S.
“As NSBE beefs up its international piece, that will help us, as well,” says Green. Chevron operates businesses in more than 100 countries.
The convention in Toronto will enable IBM to “leverage candidates for the Canada office and the U.S.,” says Prescott. “For us as hiring managers, we are able to identify candidates for both (areas), the United States and Canada at the same time, which is a winning formula for us as a globally integrated enterprise.”
Accenture also has offices in Canada, and representatives from its Toronto office will be present at Accenture’s events during the convention.
But, above all, the companies are looking forward to connecting with the high-quality candidates who attend the NSBE convention each year.
Says Accenture’s Campagnino, “We always seek to recruit the best and brightest candidates, and NSBE has been a valuable resource for achieving our recruitment goals.”
Phaedra Brotherton is a freelance writer based in Arlington, Va.