From Tuesday, Sept. 23 through Wednesday, Sept. 24, the Crossland College of Technology held its annual Company Days event where students had the opportunity to communicate with representatives in their industry field and find potential employers.
The College of Technology hosted between 150 and 200 different employers across the various technological fields taught there.
Andrea Kent, a graphic communication professor and organizer for the event, reminds students that it is not just a career fair, but a networking event that can add value to a student’s professional career.
“The Company Days event at the College of Technology is a two-day event that will have anywhere from 150 to 200 different employers across all technological fields that will come to our building and specifically network with our students,” Kent said. “It’s not necessarily a career fair, but a networking event. When you’re in industry, you understand how much building that professional network really is of value to your professional career and building that longevity.”
Laney Covey, a senior studying graphic communication, said this event was more of an opportunity for students to gain practice for the real professional world than getting jobs, even though some of them had those opportunities available. Students could also have their resumes and other professional documents critiqued throughout the event.
“Company Day is when businesses from all over the Four States come to the Tech Center at Pitt State and they talk to students,” Covey, said. “A lot of them have jobs, but mostly it is just practice for the future when you’re looking for a job or when you would like to get a resume reviewed or you’re just trying to talk to businesses and kind of get a feel for the industry.”
Kent and the other organizers of the event want students to not only be looking for internships or full-time jobs, but they also want them to be able to communicate with the employers at the event about what they need to know in their field.
“We want students to not just be looking for the internships or the full-time jobs,” Kent said, “but communicating with these employers about what they need to know for the rest of the time they’re in college and then what they need to know zero to five years out in the industry and how to kind of build their professional career. There’s a lot of conversation and collaboration that happens between students and employers and employers with other companies across the building.”
For students like Covey, who are looking for a job, this is among the first steps into the industry.
“For me this year, I am currently looking for a job,” Covey said, “so this is a good opportunity to start and kind of look at what’s out there and figure out what I really want to do. I have several companies that I would really like to work for that are here today, so I’m excited to meet with them.”
On the first day of the event, companies for construction, graphic communications, and engineering were available to talk with students, and on the second day, automotive companies were available to talk to students.