Types of Career Events
Penn State offers a wide variety of on-campus and virtual career events each year, giving employers opportunities to connect with students, faculty, and career office staff. Some events are aimed at all Penn State students; others are for a specific audience, including students in a particular college or major. Some events take place annually around the same times each year; others may vary according to employer availability.
University-Wide Events
Events aimed at students from all colleges and/or campuses are usually larger in scale. They may appeal to employers who want to hire students from a variety of educational backgrounds or who want to be able to connect with as many students as possible in a short time.
University-wide events may include on-campus or virtual career fairs or résumé reviews. Recruiters representing a wide spectrum of employers are encouraged to participate. Many of these events are arranged and hosted by central Career Services.
College or Departmental Events
Some career events are aimed at students from specific colleges or majors and are usually smaller in scale. They may appeal to employers seeking students with a range of academic backgrounds within one particular discipline.
These events may include on-campus or virtual career fairs, résumé reviews, or networking receptions, and are usually hosted by our office or by individual departments within the College of Engineering.
Custom Events
Want to do your own thing? Our staff can help you arrange special smaller-scale custom recruiting events or activities just for recruiters from your company or organization, targeting students in specific majors or student organizations. These may include:
- A professional development talk on a technical or workplace topic—popular topics include what employers look for on a résumé, how to prepare for interviews, and how to be successful at work
- An information session to promote your company or organization
- A Recruiting Day—this is a “mini-career fair” featuring one employer
- A tabling event—this is a branding opportunity for an employer to increase its visibility at Penn State even when job opportunities may not be available
Most events can be arranged free of charge; Recruiting Days cost $1,000 each.
Arranging a Custom Event
To reserve a date for your custom event (and a location, for in-person events), please contact the Recruiting Manager. You will need to provide:
- The type of event you want to host
- Proposed event format—in-person or virtual (note that, for virtual events, we strongly recommend use of a widely-known and used platform like Zoom or Webex)
- Overview of the proposed event (e.g., discussion about the company, followed by Q&A and networking)
- Proposed event date, and starting and ending time
- Desired degree levels and majors, if the event isn’t open to all engineering students
- Any other details you feel are important for students to know, e.g., how to register (if necessary)
Promoting a Custom Event
We will promote your custom event on our website, through our social media channels, and on digital monitors in the College of Engineering. We can create digital slides for advertising, featuring your logo, event time/date/location, and basic information. If your company or organization has created a custom slide that you would like us to use, please note that it must still conform to University language and stylistic standards; we will make any necessary edits.
Any slides provided to us for use must be:
- Horizontal layout, dimensions 1920 px wide x 972 px high
- Created with PowerPoint, Photoshop, or another standard design program
- Editable by our staff (both text and design elements)
Employer slides or other promotional materials may not include any Penn State logos, including athletic logos, without express advance permission from the Penn State Office of Strategic Communications.
Please note that we are unable to share paper flyers or posters from employers or to distribute slides or other materials to students through email, per College of Engineering anti-spam rules. We are also unable to assist in the promotion or management of any event at which alcohol will be served.
Custom Event Setup and Delivery
For in-person events, please ensure that you arrive at the event location early enough to set up your booth, posters, or other materials prior to your pre-arranged start time. Please bring all the materials you will need for the event with you, including any office supplies (pens, pencils, paper) and extension cords.
For virtual events, please log in to your event platform at least 15 minutes prior to your pre-arranged start time to ensure that your camera and microphone are working and to make any final adjustments.
Regardless of the delivery method, at least one recruiter from your company or organization should be present throughout the duration of your event. If for any reason you find that you will need to leave early, let us know so that we may communicate this information to participants.
Custom Event Cancellation
If you need to cancel your event, contact the Recruiting Manager as soon as possible so that we may notify participants, update promotional information, and release reserved rooms (if applicable).
