ASU career center supports engineering students throughout their academic, professional journeys

A total of 151 companies interviewed students, read their résumés and shared information about their organizations at the Memorial Union on the Tempe campus and the Student Union on the Polytechnic campus in late September.

Career Fair is one of many opportunities the Fulton Schools Career Center provides to students in Arizona State University's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

By Monique Clement |
October 11, 2016

Thriving careers await students from Arizona State University’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, but the path to get there can be difficult to go alone.

Fortunately, the Fulton Schools Career Center is there to help students identify career paths and opportunities that allow them to pursue their passions — from freshman year through senior year and beyond.

After settling into their first semester at ASU, the freshmen of the Class of 2020 are getting ready to jump-start their career searches.

Every fall, Career Exploration Night for Freshmen allows new students to explore engineering and technology careers and talk with hundreds of alumni and industry professionals — from aerospace and manufacturing to construction, aviation, industrial biomedical and civil engineering, as well as environmental and resource management — about how to get the careers they want.

This year, more than 2,800 freshmen are expected to attend Career Exploration Night on Oct. 18 at the Tempe campus and on Oct. 26 at the Polytechnic campus.

Career search assistance for students doesn’t stop there. Throughout their academic journey, students can take advantage of scheduled and drop-in advising to further plan their career paths, prepare a technical résumé and application letter, develop job-search techniques and interviewing skills and learn how to negotiate salaries.

Workshops as well as online resources, presentations and webinars provide additional opportunities to develop these skills beyond one-on-one advising.

For students looking into graduate school, the Career Center can help review graduate-school applications. These services are also available to alumni navigating their own career paths and job searches.

The Career Center also connects students with experiential learning opportunities. Internships are an excellent way for students to explore different aspects of engineering and gain experience that employers look for in a job candidate. To give students the most time to take advantage of this hands-on experience, the Career Center aims to have students ready for an internship within their first four semesters.

Beyond internships, students can participate in co-ops and experiential learning, providing them with valuable experience outside the classroom while they obtain their degrees.

In the Career Center’s co-op program, students work six to seven consecutive months of full-time, degree-related employment. Co-op students enroll in a one-credit co-op course to maintain their ASU student status while gaining industry experience, and remain on track to graduate in four to five years.

The center provides several ways to connect with employers.

Students can find internships and jobs at any time through Sun Devil CareerLink, a national network of employers seeking interns as well as candidates for full-time jobs. Through Sun Devil CareerLink, students can post their résumés, access a network of career-development professionals, research companies, participate in company information sessions, and schedule on-campus interviews with prospective employers.

The biggest of the events held by the Career Center are the Fall and Spring Career Fairs, three-day events split between the Tempe and Polytechnic campuses. In fact, the Fulton Schools Career Fairs hold the record for the single largest career event attendance at ASU, which includes the university-wide career fair events.

This year, nearly 4,000 graduate and undergraduate students attended the Career Fairs on the Tempe and Polytechnic campuses to meet with 151 employers. Many company recruiters looking to hire at the Fulton Schools Career Fairs are Fulton Schools alumni themselves, and recognize the high caliber of its graduates.

Nearly 4,000 students dressed to impress, brought their polished résumés and talked with employers at the three-day Fall 2016 Fulton Schools Career Fair.

Photo by Jessica Hochreiter/ASU
Students from the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering shared information about their expertise and experience with 151 companies, including Allstate, Amazon, ExxonMobil, Ford, Medtronic, NXP Semiconductors, State Farm, Taser and Walmart Corporate.

Photo by Jessica Hochreiter/ASU
Lindsay Fleming, a Fulton Schools chemical engineering alumni and application development engineer with PolyOne Corporation, got her job from a Fulton Schools Career Fair. "It's the benchmark to meet employers and build a relationship with them," Fleming said. "The students have great diversity of skills; they just need to find a company that fits with their skill set."

Photo by Jessica Hochreiter/ASU
Mechanical engineering junior Erin Huber talks with a Ford Motor Company recruiter. "It’s a great experience to network with reps, establish interest in a company, and get advice on how to be a better fit with a company," Huber said of the Career Fair. "It’s better to get face-to-face interaction than just going to a company's website."

Photo by Jessica Hochreiter/ASU
Nic Corrales graduated from ASU in 2015 and got a job with Ford Motor Company at a past Fulton Schools Career Fair while he was a mechanical engineering student. He works on a recruiting team that targets ASU students. "The Fulton Schools provides many opportunities to get involved that provide a lot of skills students might not get in class," Corrales said.

Photo by Jessica Hochreiter/ASU.
A recruiter looks over a student's résumé. Students were seeking internships and full-time jobs. Following the career fair, students interviewed with employers on campus for jobs and internships.

Photo by Jessica Hochreiter/ASU