SWE president and ECE student encourage attending the Engineering Career Fair

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Tweak your resume and press your suit, as today is the last day to sign up for the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Career Fair on Tuesday.

Held at the Ohio Union, in conjunction with Engineering Career Services, this is the 33rd annual fair hosted by SWE, a group open to all students at The Ohio State University who are “dedicated to promoting women to succeed in engineering and as leaders."

The event consists of 141 companies from around the nation, and attendees can explore corporations like Emerson, GE or Honda and potentially land an internship, co-op, part-time job or full-time career. 

Advice from the SWE President

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Kelsey Riffle
SWE president Kelsey Riffle, who is studying material science engineering, gave a few tips for first-time attendees:

• Check out the new SWE booth, located in the east lounge on the second floor at the Union. Here, you can learn more about SWE and ask last minutes questions about recruiters. 

• By downloading the Career Fair Plus app, searching for "OSU" and selecting the "Spring 2018 SWE Career Fair," attendees can mark recruiters as favorites, reference a map, and follow fair updates. 

• Note that popularity arranges recruiters, so waiting in lines before speaking with a potential employer may be necessary. Make sure to explore all options, though.

Riffle encourages all students, especially engineering students, to attend.

“The Career Fair provides a great opportunity for company representatives to interact with Ohio State engineering students,” said Riffle. “It allows for students to have face-to-face interactions with recruiters rather than online applications that may not accurately portray the personality of the student.”  

The fair isn’t just about landing your dream job. Riffle said the event is dedicated to raising money for other engineering organizations on campus and helps SWE members attend the SWE conference: The largest societal conference for women engineers hosted autumn 2018. 

“The societal conference brings together SWE sections nationally and internationally,” said Riffle. “Our [SWE] members are provided with opportunities to network with other collegiate and professional members, participate in informational sessions with topics ranging from resume reviews to the transition from collegiate to professional, and network with recruiters at a career fair [the societal conference] hosting over 300 companies and graduate schools.”

Riffle said SWE helped build her leadership, professional and networking skills which allow her to feel more confident during interviews. The event helps prepare her for a full-time career in engineering.

Advice from ECE Students

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Katie Lenz
Katie Lenz

An advent SWE member in electrical and computer engineering (ECE), Lenz landed a summer co-op position with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio at a career fair in the fall of 2017, but she still encourages students to attend the SWE fair for opportunities.

“This is the last engineering-only career fair I know of, if a student wants a job for this upcoming summer or fall,” she said. “I really wanted a co-op so I could see a different application of my major in a real-world working environment and use that knowledge to tailor what I do in college; whether it be classes or extracurricular(s). So, this career fair is really important for those students that want that experience.”

Lenz said her interests lie in hardware and software technology, coding and circuity. She hopes her knowledge of these topics will expand through college and during her co-op.

As for being a member of SWE, Lenz noted how the organization has helped her not only professionally and academically, but also socially.

“The fact that the club had social events, opportunities for community service, professional development, and academic support all in one club really sold me,” she said. “I love that it is so easy to get involved and that I can be around other women with similar interests that support each another in our goals.”

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Nicolas Fernandez
Nicolas Fernandez

Another ECE student, Fernandez also obtained a summer internship at a fall 2017 Ohio State career fair but agrees with Lenz that the SWE fair is vital for students who are looking for last minute summer positions or hoping for a fall 2018 opportunity. 

As for SWE, Fernandez is a recent member and joined in fall 2017 to continue his support of minorities in engineering.

“As the president of SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers), I wanted to support other minority engineering student organizations,” he said. “Attending their meetings and events has increased my knowledge of what it means to be a female in engineering, it has also made me aware of how I can be an ally for women in engineering and other STEM fields.”

Fernandez, who enjoys studying power systems and renewable energies in his major, adds how SWE provides leadership skills.

“Lastly, SWE is the largest engineering student group and I've learned much from their executive board on how to successfully lead an organization," he said.

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Luke Brownfield
Luke Brownfield

Passionate about mathematics and coding, ECE student Luke Brownfield has been involved with SWE since fall semester 2017.

After taking a class focused on “cultivating diverse and inclusive environments in engineering workplaces” by Dr. Lisa Abrams, the associate director of the Department of Engineering Education, Brownfield was inspired to learn about involvement opportunities on campus.

“Last semester I met with Dr. Abrams about what I could do to get more involved with furthering diversity and inclusivity in engineering here at Ohio State,” he said. “One of the things she mentioned was that SWE was looking for male members, so I decided to attend their monthly meeting and I have been involved since then.”

Brownfield is attending the Career Fair on Tuesday in search of a summer internship, but also sees it as an opportunity to gain some professional experience.

“I am looking forward to having a chance to further develop my networking skills.”

Engineering Career Fair information

Visit Engineering Career Services (199 Hitchcock Hall) with a valid BuckID to obtain a required name tag for the fair by 3:00 p.m. today. Click here for a full packet of information on the fair: includes a map, future events and details on each recruiter.

Last Note from Riffle:

“I want to give a huge shout out to Lexi Hemker, our 2018 Career Fair Coordinator, who has done an amazing job organizing a committee to help run the career fair and preparing the largest event that SWE hosts. We are so grateful for the Assistant Career Fair Coordinator, Natalie Kennedy, and all of the Committee Chairs for all of the hard work they've put into bringing the Career Fair to life. A big thank you to all those that have volunteered their time on the day of the career fair to help everything run smoothly.”

Story by: ECE Student PR Writer, Lydia Freudenberg