Despite spending nearly two years under the cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic, students at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering haven’t let anything dim their dreams of shaping tomorrow.
Students from the Luddy School, as well as the School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI, recently took the opportunity to connect with 40 potential employers at the Spring Virtual Career Fair held in late January. The event saw more than 1,600 individual sessions between students and employers, allowing one-on-one virtual meetings, and 41 group sessions were held that allowed students to meet in a group setting with employers for 30 minutes at a time. More than 2,000 unique student/employer connections were facilitated during the fair via the Handshake platform with employers such as Grainger, TRIMEDX, Lessonly by Seismic, General Motors, Grant Thornton, and more.
“Employers were eager to meet with Luddy students and were invested in sharing opportunities at their organizations,” said Carleigh Hannon, senior associate director of career services and one of the organizers of the event. “Employers appreciate Handshake’s consistent platform as many other universities are also utilizing Handshake to host their virtual career fairs. It was such a smooth fair thanks to the helpfulness from career advisors, employer relations professionals, and peer advisors.”
The Luddy Career Services office ensured a positive experience by sending students reminders 30 minutes prior to an interview session, and Career Services offered students help with technological issues if any cropped up prior to the session.
The Career Fair has been held virtually since Fall 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic, and familiarity is allowing for a smoother experience.
“Although aspects of in-person career fairs are certainly missed, including the energy you can feel on fair day, I’m grateful for the opportunity for safe connections to continue,” Hannon said. “I’ve received positive feedback both from students and employers who prefer the virtual career fair. We look forward to continuing virtual career fairs, in combination with in-person fairs, and will evaluate recruiting timelines to maximize opportunities.”
The Luddy School’s next career fair is scheduled for Sept. 22. Luddy’s Career Services office is available to undergraduates, master’s students, Ph.D. students, and Luddy alumni.