On Friday, October 26th we held our second Tech Connect event in Lerner. We hosted 300 students and nearly 100 company representatives for an afternoon of roundtable discussion covering everything computer science.
WHAT IS TECH CONNECT?
Tech Connect is not a career fair. It is a more intimate event focused on putting computer science students at the table with software developers. In each of the two sessions, students had 90 minutes to speak with employers in 15-minute rotations. By having rotations, students worried less about the entering and exiting of networking conversations and could instead focus on learning.
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Conversations revolved around work and life as a developer, trends within the industry, projects and innovations, and best practices for preparing for the tech recruiting process.
“Students were well prepared prior to the event, leading to meaningful conversations. The atmosphere was relaxed, enjoyed talking to students from different backgrounds. 15-minute sessions allowed us to speak to a wide range of students.” — Employer Attendee
Students noted that the event was more comfortable than a traditional career fair and there was the opportunity to ask the questions they always wanted to be answered by a professional working in the field.
“I liked the fact that we just got to talk with people who worked at these companies and learn about aspects of jobs and companies that we would not otherwise know. It was much more useful and fun than a regular career fair.” — Student Attendee
WHICH COMPANIES WERE REPRESENTED AT TECH CONNECT 2018?
Companies ranging in size, function, and brand reputation were present. Attendees noted that speaking with a diverse array of companies enabled them to identify differences. By understanding the differences, students felt more confident in choosing companies of interest that they wanted to follow up with.
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Companies presented included the organizations listed below.
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RESUME FREE-ZONE
Tech Connect 2018 was a resume-free zone. You read that right, a resume-free zone at an employer event. Student attendees were able to submit their resume online to a resume book that was sent to all of the companies in attendance. Without the pressure of wanting to share a resume, students were able to have genuine discussions around computer science with the professional engineers present.
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“Tech Connect was much more relaxed and meaningful than I had imagined a recruiting event would be. Making it a resume free zone was a great idea. It shifted the emphasis of the event to asking employers about their experience, rather than vying for a job.” — Student Attendee
Want to know when you can catch employers on campus next? Check out our events and fairs in LionSHARE! Events are updated all the time — check back frequently.
