Career Fair Proves the Sky’s the Limit for Tandon Students

With almost 2,000 attendees, the Engineering and Technology Career Fair held at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering in early February was jam-packed with suit-wearing students excitedly bearing newly prepared résumés. In the middle of one particularly enthusiastic scrum was a beaming Mitch Shinbrot, an alum who was there in his capacity as an engineering supervisor and recruiter for General Dynamics Electric Boat, a venerable company that had been established in 1899 to build the world’s first practical submarine. Shinbrot is a regular presence at the career fairs hosted by NYU’s Wasserman Center, and the company now employs some 100 Tandon graduates. “Other supervisors have told me how happy they are with the quality of the engineers from the school,” he says, “and they encourage me to continue recruiting them.”

Among the dozens of employers actively recruiting Tandon graduate and undergraduate students were several that—like Shinbrot and Electric Boat—also had historic and meaningful connections to the school. Not far from a large formal portrait of alum, professor, and benefactor Joseph J. Jacobs, representatives of the Jacobs Engineering Group—which he had founded in 1947 and which eventually grew into one of the most successful such ventures in the world—accepted resumes from students ready to follow in his footsteps.

“Companies recognize the value and excellence of a Tandon education, and there are many who can be counted upon to offer our students wonderful opportunities,” Robert Caparaz, the director of Wasserman’s Brooklyn-based office, says. “We’re proud that respected organizations like Siemens, Raytheon, ConEd, and National Grid regularly rely on us to provide the engineering talent they need.”

Also recruiting at the fair were newer industry giants like Google, Facebook, and Twitter. Mary Snowden, Senior Associate Director at Wasserman, points out that recruiters from FireEye, a West Coast-based leader in cyber security, had traveled all the way across the country to seek out Tandon grads.

For many of the students, the fair marked the first time they had interacted one-on-one with a potential employer, but personnel at the Wasserman Center had prepared them well. There is even a mobile app, Career Fair Plus, which allows users to peruse registered employers, read job-search tips, and prepare to make the most out of the fair (available for Android and iPhone). 

For added motivation, students have only to look at recent statistics released by NYU: within six months of graduating more than 95% of Tandon's 2015 bachelor's recipients were placed—with a mean salary that was among the highest across their NYU peers and above early-reported salary averages for Engineering and Computer Science graduates nationally (Fall 2015 Salary Survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers).

Wasserman Is Here to Help

Over 95% of NYU Tandon 2015 graduates surveyed had taken advantage of a myriad of Wasserman services throughout their undergraduate tenure. In addition to holding career fairs each semester, the MetroTech office of the Center plans other fun and informative events. Two coming up are:

  • Diversity in STEM: Wasserman Employer Meet Up with National Grid
    Friday, February 26, 3:00-5:00 pm, Brooklyn I Outside of the Cafeteria 
    Join this informal gathering on campus with National Grid. Ask about job searching, explore potential opportunities, and learn more about your career options at this unique professional development event. RSVP
  • NYU Spring 2016 Start Up Job Expo
    Thursday, March 31st, 4:00pm-6:30pm | NYU Wasserman Center, Main Office (Manhattan - 133 E. 13th Street) 
    Are you an undergraduate or graduate student interested in paid part-time jobs, full-time jobs or internships in the exciting world of Start Ups? Meet employers and explore opportunities at the NYU Spring 2016 Start Up Job Expo. MBA candidates also welcome. RSVP