A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to fly to Holly Springs, NC for an interview with Novartis, a pharmaceutical company. What is unique and special about this opportunity is that Novartis was interested enough in me as well as 5 other Penn State students to fly us down, all expenses paid. This situation came about through the Penn State’s engineering career fair, held every spring and solely dedicated to recruiting world-class Penn State engineers. Students looking for full-time, internship or co-op positions are given the chance to network with over a hundred companies in hopes of landing a job. In my case, I was looking for a full-time position after graduating with my degree in Chemical Engineering this May. Job searching can be a terribly stressful ordeal in this economy, but with dedication and 4 years of Penn State behind me, I was fully confident in my ability to land a job.
The interview itself went well in my opinion: the standard questions were asked as well as a few trickier ones. (Give me a time when you really messed up and how did you get things back on track?) The roundtrip flights in a single day are also worth mentioning. I had never been on a plane before, and this was definitely not the way to start. Each flight we were scheduled to take was delayed, cancelled or missed because of maintenance issues and weather. We left at 6am, and didn’t return to State College until midnight! But, after the incredibly long day, we had another interview under our belts and we all went home with a sense of accomplishment eager to find out if we got the job.
Bottom line: When you choose your college, don’t just think about what you can gain from them in your 4 years, but also what you’ll be gaining from them in the life-long journey after you graduate. Your college should be able to give you opportunities to help you start your career after graduation.
-Deanna Jacoby
No comments:
Post a Comment