Career Corner -- Engineering News: Vanderbilt University School of Engineering

Vanderbilt University School of Engineering News

Career Center Director Expands Corporate Relations
As the technology sector continues to grow in corporate America and a favorable economy brings companies calling, Vanderbilt School of Engineering students face a favorable climate for pursuing the career of their choice. Francene Gilmer, new director of Vanderbilt's Career Center, is laying the groundwork to link students with prospective employers and provide them the marketing skills to shine in any economy. "Career planning is a process, not an event," she says.

Gilmer

Gilmer, appointed director of the Career Center in July, employs a holistic approach to corporate relations that results in long-term relationships between the University and corporate America. She intends to establish more internship opportunities, increase alumni career mentoring, and launch a formal outreach program to acquaint prospective employers nationwide with Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt's Career Fair and Internship Fair are career planning staples for students. Of 1,005 attendees at the 1998 Career Fair, 450 were engineering students. E-students netted more than 250 offers, primarily in computer science, and electrical and mechanical engineering.
"We intend to expand companies' contact with Vanderbilt beyond employment, however," Gilmer explains. "Vanderbilt can be a resource in so many areas. Companies can collaborate on research with engineering faculty, or outsource design projects to senior students. As they become acquainted with Vanderbilt, they better understand our programs and know the kind of students that Vanderbilt produces."
Katy Brandt, School of Engineering administrative officer and coordinator of industrial outreach, agrees. "The more our institution is utilized and firms encounter our top students, the more VUSE can serve as a conduit for students to discover rewarding work and companies to benefit from the talents of well-placed students."
To maximize recruitment opportunities, the Career Fair will become a biannual event. The fall fair will continue, and a second in spring will offer both internship and full-time employment opportunities. "We want to increase the number of internships for engineering students," Gilmer explains. "Companies coming in the fall have the opportunity to return in the spring. We are also going to start targeting companies with last-minute full-time vacancies, and students seeking internships during the spring semester."
The Career Center's new employer outreach program -- scheduled for implementation next spring -- will strengthen Vanderbilt's presence among Fortune 500 powerhouses and hot job markets around the nation. The program will be managed by Associate Director B.J. Taylor. Team members from the Career Center will visit companies throughout the country to acquaint them with Vanderbilt's programs and students. Efforts will begin with companies already having a strong presence on campus -- finance, consulting, and high technology companies such as Capital One, Andersen Consulting, Deloitte & Touche, and IBM -- and expand to new prospects. "Our goal is to improve relationships with our present clients and create ties with companies not yet acquainted with Vanderbilt," she explains.
Alumni involvement will be strengthened with a career advisory network also scheduled to resume in the spring. A joint project of the Career Center and the Alumni Office, the program will create an interactive network using alumni as career mentors and active recruiters. "We want alumni to view their alma mater as a resource for future employees, and in that vein to become more involved in the process as corporate liaisons, student advisors, or on-campus recruiters," she says. "I hope alumni who are interested in the development of young professionals will contact us to help make this happen."
The Center continues to support alumni already in the workforce, Gilmer adds. "People contact us when considering a career change, because they see us as a reliable source of information. Our primary focus is undergraduate placement, but we are happy to offer our services to alumni as well.
"We want companies to see the Vanderbilt Engineering School as a prime place to recruit. But students must be prepared to market themselves," she says. "They must be able to sell themselves and articulate in a professional manner what they have to offer. We teach students to package themselves so that they stand out."

-- Laura Millard Ladd