NSBE - March/April 2008 - (Page 129)

34TH ANNUAL NATIONAL CONVENTION NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS MARCH 19–23, 2008, ORANGE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER, ORLANDO, FLA. Finding Career Fair Success By Rasheim T. Freeman NSBE Career Fair Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21, 2008 12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla., Hall D-1 D arnell Fisher, 27, is the very pany’s liaison to NSBE’s Board of Corporate deﬁnition of the NSBE Career Afﬁliates (BCA). Fair success story. After followExhibitors at this year’s NSBE Career Fair ing his heart and transitioning offer a few tips here, for everyone from the from his previous job as a mid-level electrical strongest job candidates to rising juniors engineer, Fisher, NSBE’s National Alumni and seniors who need some professional Extension membership chair, landed a job — ediﬁcation. nearly on-the-spot — as a project team lead for Rolls-Royce Energy Systems, at the 2007 FIVE TIPS NSBE Annual National Convention in Colum- NSBE National AE MemberThe ﬁrst piece of advice is to practice ship Chair Darnell Fisher bus, Ohio. your “elevator speech,” that is, a short pitch scored a management job So how do you land the “Rolls-Royce” of that tells, in 30 seconds or less, who you with Rolls-Royce at NSBE's jobs in your chosen ﬁeld at the 2008 NSBE are, your qualiﬁcations and why a company 2007 Career Fair. Career Fair in Orlando this March? should hire you. Just ask Fisher. “If you arrive at our booth armed with a lit“First and foremost, know who you are as a young tle elevator speech, then that is impressive,” says NSBE person and as a person of color, so that you can be BCA liaison Judith Mebane, manager of Interviewer conﬁdent your skills and potential add value to a comTraining and Diversity Recruiting for General Electric. pany that markets itself Second, make sure your resume is across the globe. Know updated and posted on NSBE Online your worth,” says Fisher. before the Career Fair kick-off. “If someone asks you what Third, three things NSBE members your ﬁve-year plan is, you need to remember: networking, netshould have a speciﬁc working and networking. The Career answer, no matter who the Fair gives NSBE members high-level company is.” access to some of the most powerThe Career Fair ﬂoor in ful executives in the world. Be keen CONTINUED ON PAGE 130 Orlando will span 58,100 square feet — about onethird the size of Epcot’s Spaceship Earth! — and will have top-of-mind companies such as Intel Corporation, General Electric Company and Microsoft Corporation on-hand to hire new talent. “There is a dire need for engineers here in the U.S. So, even a company like Intel is looking for an infusion of young, diverse talent on pretty much an annual basis,” says Leroy Tripette, manager for Intel Education and the comwww.nsbe.org • march/april 2008 • 129 http://www.nsbe.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NSBE - March/April 2008

NSBE - March/April 2008
Contents
The Flame of Change
What Is Your Smile Saying?
International News: Telecom Training In Nigeria
Get Involved, Get International!
NSBE International, History in Brief
Truth Power!
Is Government Work for You?
Partners for Positive Impact
Regional News: Region III Economic Overview
GM Flexes Its Green
NSBE Calendar
Hot…Not
A Well-Deserved Break
Goodness Ikeri of Caterpillar
Tonya Erwin of Toyota
Albert Rodriques of Lehman Brothers
Igniting the Torch
Finding Career Fair Success
The AE Niche
Working in Harm’s Way
Reality Check
AE Members on the Move
Advertisers Index

NSBE - March/April 2008