Job Search Methods
Are you searching for full-time employment, graduate programs, co-ops, internships, research opportunities, or additional opportunities to gain experience outside of the career fairs? There are plenty of resources that are available for searching job that are detailed below:
Career Fairs
Career Fairs are arguably the easiest and most common way to gain industry experience and/or receiving full time offers. The largest and most prominent career fairs are the Engineering Expo which is held in the beginning of every fall semester and Cameo which is held in the beginning of every spring semester. AIChE also hosts its own career forum around the same time as Expo which has companies who are specifically looking for ChemEs!
ChE Academic and Career Advising Page
The ChE Academic and Career Advising Canvas Page is an excellent resource for a variety of career opportunities. Throughout the year, there are several announcements made about REU’s, internships and co-ops, as well as full-time opportunities and information sessions for graduate school. For some of these opportunities, they are looking specifically for Virginia Tech ChE Students. Make sure to keep your notifications on for these announcements!
Handshake
Handshake is an excellent way to find opportunities for internships, co-ops, full-time opportunities, and even on-campus lab technician roles to gain experience. There are tons of job opportunities that can be filtered based on location, industry, and role. On Handshake, there are some roles with a “Quick Apply” option, where you can upload your resume and/or unofficial transcript to apply for roles. Be sure to check out some roles on Handshake! There also is a page on handshake which has professional development opportunities for Virginia Tech students here.
LinkedIn not only is a way to build connections and a network, but also has a job search portal! On LinkedIn, job opportunities can be filtered based on experience level, location, industry, and role. For some of the companies, it also provides information on if anyone in your network has previously worked at the company.
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation provides a comprehensive site about Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) Programs. On this site, specific topics can be searched and show different REU programs at different universities, along with the abstract of the project and contact information for the project. The National Science Foundation also provides information on active sites for the International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) Program, where undergraduate students can conduct research at international labs. If you are interested in gaining additional research experience, this is an excellent resource!