10th bi-annual Computer Science Career Fair

On Thursday Sept. 18, 2014, The Department of Computer Science hosted its 10^th bi-annual Computer Science Department Career and Internship Fair at the XFinity Center, the largest venue for the event yet.  Representatives from 122 companies, including corporate partners, attended the fair in hopes of attracting students for internships and full-time positions.  The diverse companies in attendance included start-ups, government agencies, mid-size tech companies in financial, environmental, and security industries, as well as tech giants. Many representatives from the companies were alumni from the Computer Science Department, and they returned in order to not only see their former classmates and friends, but to recruit talented students from the University of Maryland.

Undergraduates and graduates students attended the fair to network, career search, and to experience the splendor that these companies have to offer.  Over 950 students carried stacks of resumes and queued in long lines that stretched outside the door to find their first internship, or new full-time careers.

CS students attended the fair in hopes of networking and opening doors for future job opportunities. Though some students wanted to test the waters and explore, others searched for very specific opportunities.  Senior student Mary Gansolo came to the career fair in hopes of finding a full time job after graduation. “I’m looking for a full time job in the cyber security industry after graduation,” Gansolo said, “I think the fair will have a lot of opportunities for me to network in my desired field.”  

Other students simply wanted to see what the future had in store for them, and make contacts that would benefit them in the future on their career search. Sophomore student Neil Alberg attended the fair to make contacts for future endeavors. “Since I’m a sophomore I came to the fair specifically to network,” Alberg said, “Hopefully it will give me some opportunities for the future.”

It wasn’t just the students who were on the hunt to expand their network. Companies from all over the U.S. came to recruit students to grow their workforce and attract the most qualified students to add to their employee rosters.  Like many recruiters, Franchaun Armstead, technical recruiter for iJET, based in Annapolis, Maryland,  said that she was “looking for [extremely talented] software engineers and software developers.”

In order to make sure that recruiters such as Armstead have good experiences and meet the best students for their companies, the Computer Science Department gives companies the opportunity to provide anonymous online feedback to the event. This year, the responses were overwhelmingly positive.  Some responses included the following:

 “This is the most productive recruiting event that we attend from resources to students. We couldn't ask for more. The University of MD CS Department should be commended for their efforts to connect students and employers.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

“We always find outstanding candidates at UMCP and this career fair was another successful event! The staff is always very accommodating! Thank you for your partnership - GREAT JOB!”

In terms of what students can do to build their resumes right now, Excella Consulting offers a program in which students can get work experience while they’re still in school.  Excella Consulting has a program on campus in which students can work 10 to 15 hours a week to get practical work experience, says Gavin Hurley, Senior Consultant at Excella Consulting. “Students will be able to work in our extension center to gain practical experience,” he said, “We bring real world problems from our customers in our headquarters to the students so we can mentor them on delivering a result.”  This way, students exchange their time for real world experience and actual problems customers are facing.

The Career Fair proved to be a successful event for both students and companies to expand their networks. For more information about list of companies in attendance as well as the Computer Science Department’s corporate partners read more here: https://www.cs.umd.edu/openhouse/students