The engineering career fair at McKimmon Center on Monday gave students the chance to meet and speak with representatives from companies looking to see what N.C. State students had to offer.

“At this type of fair, we are mainly looking for interns, but we are always willing to take resumes and pass them along to human resources in case other positions open up,” Kristofer Edelberg, a representative from Archer Western Contractors, said. “We want to meet as many students as possible.” 

The companies participating in the fair had booths set up with representatives available to answer questions and provide job insight for engineering students. Many companies have participated for several years, according to Edelberg.

The career fair has paid dividends for Archer Western, according to Edelberg. “We have participated in this every year that it has been offered to us.  We currently have four co-ops from N.C. State who actually started out as interns. This is a good way for us to build relationships with the students and provide opportunities,” Edelberg said.

There were 182 companies at the career fair, with an estimated 500 representatives, according to Brian Koehler, the director of Engineering Academic Affairs.  According to Koehler, 2,000 students had checked in at the career fair as of 1 p.m.

“We want this event to be a win-win for everyone involved.  We have students from our university attending as well as from other schools around North Carolina, such as Duke,” Koehler said. ”If this can serve students and help the economy, I consider it a success.  We want to help companies get the best and brightest.”

The career fair is held twice every academic year; once in the fall and again in the spring semester.  The University’s engineering career fair is one of the largest held in the United States, according to Koehler. Koehler also said engineering is a great field to study in college.

“Frankly, I can tell parents that if your student wants to get a job after college, N.C. State engineering is the place to be,” Koehler said.

The fair is largely centered around helping students get a feel for the application and interview process. Leslie Rand-Pickett, the assistant director for the University Career Center, said the fair’s main goal is to help students get interview experience with companies. 

“Students can get more information about what companies’ needs are, how to apply and just the process in general.  What happens next after filling out an online application is an important thing to know,” Rand-Pickett said.

Some companies set up interviews after meeting with students at the career fair, Rand-Pickett said. The University reserves 40 to 50 rooms on campus for various companies to utilize for interviewing.

“Some students do get interviews after attending this fair. Most of the companies who participate in this fair are looking to hire,” Rand-Pickett said.

Although not all companies are necessarily hiring, the experience was beneficial, Jason Meyer, a senior in mechanical engineering, said.

“There are a lot of companies that come just to have their name put out there. I just think we should be focusing on companies with actual positions to better benefit the students,” Meyer said.

The engineering career fair is scheduled to return during the fall 2011 semester.