Student listening to a recruiter at the career fair.

Students REACT at the Manhattan Career Fair

October 30, 2017

Pictured: Students at the REACT Career Fair in NYIT-Manhattan.

“Confidence” and “students who are prepared and know what we do”—those were the traits that employers at NYIT’s Recruit: Engineering, Architecture, Construction, Technology (REACT) Career Fair called out as being of vital importance when meeting candidates. Of course, top notch skills in areas like software development, environmental engineering, architecture and design, and project management, don’t hurt a student’s chances either.

More than 150 students attended the fair, held during free hour on October 26, armed with résumés, questions, and their best handshakes. There, they had the chance to speak one-on-one with recruiters and update their photos for their LinkedIn profiles. Other students attended on behalf of their own organizations, including fourth-year architecture student Gabby Redding, who represented NYIT’s chapter of American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS).

By meeting with companies now, students have the chance to lock down a job months before they graduate. “We hold this fair in the fall because engineering and technology companies tend to recruit now and get their offers in by January or February,” said John Hyde, executive director of Career Services. “We try to get students engaged early and often, so that they think ‘Okay, I’m ready to interview’ when October comes around.” Hyde, along with other staff members from Career Services and Alumni Relations, busily mingled with the employers and introduced students to their would-be employers—connections that had the potential to be life changing.

Of the 20+ employers in attendance, several already boast NYIT alumni and students as employers. H2M Architects + Engineers, for example, has dozens of NYIT grads in its employment roster. Others, like IT support services company RCS Professional Services and architectural firm Dixon Advisory USA are looking to hire their first NYIT team members.

Some alumni even came back to represent their companies as recruiters. Jill Thomas (B.Arch. ’01), project manager at Lothrop Associates LLP, manages complex construction jobs in the New York area. She was at the career fair looking for budding architects and interior designers with excellent project management and design skills. Edgar Arevalo (B.S. ’10, M.S. ’14) chose to make energy management his career. He was recruited on LinkedIn by another NYIT alumnus for his position in Commissioning and Energy Services at Loring Consulting Engineers. Returning to speak about the company at the career fair brought his NYIT journey full circle.

Then there’s Liz Uzzo (B.P.S ’85, M.S. ’95), vice president of Human Resources, and Megan P. O’Grady (B.Arch. ’13)—two of the NYIT graduates who make up the team at H2M Architects + Engineers. For Uzzo, continuing to recruit NYIT students who are just starting out along with alumni who are already advanced in the field is a priority. “Our relationship with NYIT continues to be an important part of our overall recruitment and development program at H2M,” she says.

See pictures from the fair below and attend more Career Services events.

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(left to right) Career Services staff members Saadia Rafiq, Angela Monahan, Laurie Hollister, James Huang, Sudeh Jahan, and John Hyde hold up signs representing employers at the fair.
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Students got professional portraits taken for LinkedIn.
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Edgar Arevalo (B.S. ’10, M.S. ’14) (left) interviews a potential candidate.
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Jill Thomas (B.Arch. ’99) (right) interviews a potential candidate.
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Liz Uzzo (B.P.S. ’85, M.S. ’95) (right) and Megan P. O’Grady (B.Arch. ’13) (left) are just two of the NYIT graduates who work at H2M.
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A student interviews with a recruiter from Crestron Electronics Inc.
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A student meets with a recruiter from AECOM.