Career Fairs Go Global, Virtual, Supporting UB's International Focus and Bringing Recruitment to the Cutting Edge

BUFFALO, N.Y.--A pair of engineering career fairs in March will mark important milestones for the University at Buffalo: Both events have a global focus, a first for UB career fairs, and one will take place completely online -- another first.

The fairs support UB's commitment to providing a global education. The university is one of the country's most international, placing 12th in the Institute of International Education's most current ranking of research universities by international enrollment.

One in six students at UB in the 2009-10 academic year came from a foreign country, and nearly 12 percent of UB students take courses abroad, six times the national average.

The Virtual Global Engineering Career Fair on March 1 will introduce domestic and international businesses with a global presence to engineering and computer science students and alumni.

During the event, employers and prospective employees will have the opportunity to chat in groups or one-on-one. Video conferencing will also be available. Students who attend will create a profile and upload resumes before "meeting" with representatives of companies including IBM India and VanDeMark Chemical in Lockport.

"This is the first time we're doing a virtual career fair, so that's exciting for us," said Holly Justice, engineering career counselor. "We want to let companies know that they can come to UB to recruit for domestic and international talent. This kind of global recruiting is a fairly new paradigm, and our virtual approach puts us at the cutting edge."

The On-Campus Global Engineering Career Fair on March 4 in Alumni Arena will enable recruiters at firms with global opportunities to meet UB talent in a more traditional setting. The fair is for master's and doctoral-level students and alumni in engineering and computer science.

So far, 15 firms from five U.S. states have signed up to attend. Registrants include media giant Bloomberg, IT services provider FDM Group and energy-solutions firm Cameron.

Companies interested in registering for either fair should contact Justice at hjustice@buffalo.edu or 716-645-4640.

"These career fairs are an opportunity for us to expand our focus on working with more global companies," said Arlene Kaukus, director of UB Career Services, which organized the fairs in collaboration with UB's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. "We're starting with engineering, but it would be our hope to seek more global employers for other academic areas. UB has many international students who might want to return to their country of origin, and many domestic students who are interested in working globally."

Harvey G. Stenger, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, said the two new fairs offer students a distinct service, differing from existing events including a fall tech career fair, which focuses on the national scene.

"Comments on exit surveys from graduate students in engineering over the past several years have indicated a strong desire to have better career services provided to them," Stenger said. "These new career fairs are aimed at filling this need by offering events focused on the global market."

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.