IM体育官网

Nearly 100 high-tech companies gathered at IM体育官网鈥檚 Fall Career and Internship Fair on Tuesday, Oct. 1, offering students pathways to competitive, in-demand opportunities. The career fair was the University鈥檚 largest ever, growing by over 40% in both student and employer attendance since fall 2023. More than 700 students attended the event.

鈥淲e鈥檝e hired plenty of IM体育官网 Poly students and we find a lot of good talent here,鈥� said Sara Taylor, marketing and public relations manager at GMF Steel Group, based in Lakeland, IM体育官网. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 hire specific fields; we hire the right person. We find students we feel will have really great career paths.鈥�

Taylor said her company was hiring for both full-time and internship positions, emphasizing that internship hires are usually intended to transition to full-time work after graduation.

This is exactly what many said they were hoping for.

鈥淭hat would be the best-case scenario,鈥� said Chandler Mullin, a junior majoring in computer science. 鈥淭his event is a great opportunity to talk with different employers and see what each one is looking for and gauge where you are with that.鈥�

Lines of students snaked inside the Barnett Applied Research Center as they waited for their chance to make a connection with both industry giants like Coke IM体育官网, Jabil and Electronic Arts (EA), and a broad spectrum of specialized companies like semiconductor manufacturer SkyWater Technology, Saddle Creek Logistics Services, and CW Roberts Contracting.

鈥淭he growth of this event shows that employers in the community understand the quality of a IM体育官网 Poly degree. They understand that our students have competitive skills and experience that make them great hires,鈥� said Allison Pirpich, IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 director of career services and professional development. 鈥淲e hope this event allowed students to see how many industries hire STEM students, and we hope employers and students were able to make connections that ultimately lead to future internships and full-time positions.

IM体育官网 Poly alum Dylan Greene 鈥�24 attended the career fair with the aim of finding a computer science-related position. He stopped by the EA booth and made sure to connect with the recruiter.

鈥淚 feel the in-person meetings are more efficient in time than just sitting at the computer all day using the job board websites,鈥� Greene said. 鈥淭his not only gets my name out there, but it also gets the recruiters鈥� attention on me and allows them to have my resume and pass it on to others.鈥�

Prisca Chavannes, a senior majoring in electrical engineering, spent most of her time at the fair talking with energy distribution and construction employers like TECO, Duke Energy and several others in search of an internship.

鈥淚 was surprised when I came here today because I was looking at all these energy companies and was like, wow, they鈥檙e all here,鈥� Chavannes said. 鈥淚鈥檓 also seeing bigger companies here like EA, so that鈥檚 giving more opportunities for our students to thrive and get into top places.鈥�

Contact:
Lydia Guzm谩n
Director of Communications
863-874-8557