When it comes to helping Huskies get hired, Michigan Technological University goes beyond the expected — providing a weeks-long Career Fest that offers students a wealth of opportunities to form relationships, explore opportunities and find their path to a fulfilling career.
Career fairs are nothing new. Every semester, most universities offer students the opportunity to attend a recruiting event to introduce themselves to potential employers and maybe share a resume or two.
While job fairs and career expos have proved their value, Michigan Tech's Career Services office has been going above and beyond for more than a decade. Career Fest, which saw its beginnings in 2013, provides workshops, resume reviews and a series of casual networking and recruiting events during the weeks leading up to Career Fair. This year's fall Career Fest took place Sept. 9-23 and was capped off with Career Fair on Sept. 24 and Interview Day on Sept 25.
Career Fest: Forged in Steel
In the early 2010s, Michigan Tech's Career Services office saw a decline in attendance at employer "info sessions" leading up to Career Fair and began experimenting with new and different formats.
In fall 2013, Steel Day was introduced — an informal expo attended by four companies: ArcelorMittal, Cleveland-Cliffs, Gerdau and Nucor. These employers highlighted career options in the steel industry in an effort to attract students to their industry generally, and their booths at Career Fair more specifically. In fall 2014, Steel Day was repeated, and a student-organized Petroleum Day was held in a similar fashion. The success of both these events led to more like them in fall 2015, and Career Fest, as the Tech community knows it today, was born.
"Michigan Tech's Career Fest has always been a fantastic opportunity for students and companies to connect with each other in a more informal, casual environment," said Cody Kangas, executive director of Career Services at Michigan Tech. "It's where students can meet prospective employers, not just to apply for jobs, but to engage in real conversations about their futures. The atmosphere of Fest offers a chance to ask questions, learn, and showcase both interest and drive. It enables space for students to be proactive, forge connections, and fine-tune their approach as they warm up for fall Career Fair."
Highlights of this year's Career Fest included Michigan Day (Sept. 10), GM Energy Day (Sept. 20) and Career Services Partner Day (Sept. 23).
On Michigan Day, Michigan-based employers set up booths on Husky Plaza in an effort to recruit and retain talent in the state of Michigan. In partnership with InvestUP, the University invited companies from across the Upper Peninsula and Michigan to talk with students about career opportunities available in the state of Michigan.
"In light of the need that the region has to grow our population with the next generation of talent and the need our employers have for that talent, this partnership with Michigan Tech provides a critically important opportunity," said Amy Berglund, director of business initiatives at InvestUP. "The day gives talented students at Michigan Tech a practical understanding of the impressive and diverse employers that would provide students the chance to make their career in the same special place they received their education."
Huskies Come Home
An added benefit to MTU's Career Fest? The presence of alumni. Throughout the weeks of Career Fest, as well as at Career Fair, Michigan Tech alumni were out in full force to chat with their fellow Huskies.
Wade Sheffer, vice president of GM Energy and a 1996 mechanical engineering grad, was on hand for the first-ever GM Energy Day, which provided students with the opportunity to learn more about GM Energy's future technology and check out two electric vehicles (EVs): an EV Hummer and an EV Silverado.
"It was a genuine honor to return to Michigan Tech as a representative of General Motors and to share the innovative projects we are pursuing at GM Energy with the next generation of problem-solvers and leaders," said Sheffer, vice president of GM Energy. "The world currently needs fearless individuals who are ready to put in the work to forge new paths ahead, which is why I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to engage with the students at MTU's Career Fest."
Students engaged with alumni representatives from a wide range of industries, from multinational tech companies like Amazon, to North America's largest steel manufacturer (and Career Fair sponsor) Nucor, to local and state employers like Erhardt Construction.
"My colleagues from Amazon and I were thrilled to be a part of MTU's Career Fest," said Todd Geib, a senior cloud infrastructure architect with Amazon and 1998 Michigan Tech electrical engineering graduate. "Engaging with such talented, innovative students reaffirms our commitment to fostering the next generation of leaders at Amazon. We look forward to growing connections and creating opportunities for these bright minds to shape the future."
"I found the Michigan Tech Career Fair to be extremely well planned and executed," said Ben Wickstrom, president and CEO of Erhardt Construction and a 1998 civil engineering graduate. "As an employer, I appreciated the clear communication and logistics to make such a large event go smoothly. Additionally, I was impressed with the caliber of students I engaged with during the event."
Career Fair: Not Just for Engineers
While Michigan Tech is widely regarded as a STEM school with a strong foundation in engineering, Career Fest and Career Fair offer opportunities for students of all backgrounds. For marketing major Nathaniel Vogler, a senior who plans to graduate in spring 2025, Michigan Tech's Career Fest and Career Fair have opened several doors.
"My sophomore year, I went to Career Fair, made the rounds and passed out my resume," said Vogler. "A lot of companies told me they weren't recruiting for marketing, but would be happy to pass my resume along to their marketing departments."
Those companies were true to their word, and Vogler landed a summer internship with Boldt Construction in Appleton, Wisconsin.
"Last year, when I was a junior, a lot more companies were seeking marketing majors," Vogler continued. "I went to a lot of the Career Fest events in the weeks leading up to Career Fair, and I ended up spending some time at the Stellantis booth. I then followed up with them at Career Fair, gave them my resume and answered some of their questions to see if I would be a good culture match for the company."
Vogler went through the interview process and landed an internship with Stellantis during summer 2024. At this fall's Career Fair, Vogler was happy to see that even more companies were recruiting marketing majors.
"It's been very reciprocative," he said, noting that he's thrown his hat in the ring with a few well-known companies. "I've been very successful at Michigan Tech's Career Fair, even as a non-engineering major."
Recruited to Recruit
For Zekelman Industries, a Chicago-based steel company, fall 2024 marked their first experience with a Michigan Tech Career Fair. As anyone with a map knows, no one arrives in Houghton by accident. What brought Zekelman to the shores of Lake Superior? A fantastic intern.
"Following a very successful summer internship with a Michigan Tech student, we engaged directly with the University to partner more closely," said Andrea Seymour, Zekelman's vice president of talent acquisition. "Our organization is doing a lot with automation, robotics and programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and our Michigan Tech intern worked on a project to automate a process in a local plant with great success. The work he did was simple but impressive, utilizing materials we had on-site. It caught the attention of our CEO and my team."
"These are exactly the type of people we're looking for to be the future of our company. These are the students we want to get in front of. We want them to have long careers with us and take us to the next level."
Before arriving on campus, Zekelman made the call to become a gold sponsor of the fall 2024 Career Fair. And after spending time with more Michigan Tech students, the company is confident in its decision.
"I was very impressed with the fall career fair. The quality of companies in attendance and the volume of students that participated was impressive," said Seymour. "The students were well prepared with resumes in hand and engaging and thoughtful questions about our company. It's typical for individuals to be unfamiliar with our organization and subsequent brands, but once they understand who we are, what we make and why it matters, the interest increases quickly. Career fairs like this allow us the opportunity to showcase our products and share the value employees of Zekelman bring to our communities by producing them every day."
Going forward, look for more of those employees to be Michigan Tech grads.
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
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