Oregon State College of Business student Elizabeth Yamada didn’t know what to expect when she sat in on her first Industry Information Session.
Yamada is hoping to join the MECOP business and engineering internship program and wanted to hear from representatives of the Boeing Company, one of the session’s featured companies and a MECOP sponsor as well.
She spoke with Boeing Project Manager Katie Schuberg, an OSU Finance and MBA graduate and former MECOP intern herself.
Yamada left with her questions answered, a new contact at a company she’d love to work with and renewed confidence in her path.
“[Schuberg] was also a MECOP intern, and hearing she doesn’t have a technical background — like me — I needed to hear that,” Yamada said.
Put on by the College of Business Career Success Center, Industry Information Sessions bring representatives from multiple companies to Bexell Hall 328 at 4 p.m. every Tuesday.
Every session focuses on a different industry, allowing students to meet with recruiters, find out more about companies and start networking for future jobs and internships.
Fall term’s first session featured the aviation industry, with representatives from Boeing, the Port of Portland and Evergreen Aviation.
Yamada said the environment was welcoming, with recruiters open to questions and eager to give advice.
“It’s not as scary as it sounds like,” she said. “When they announce it in class, networking can sound intimidating, but the recruiters are just like we are.”
Schuberg said she enjoys coming back to Corvallis as a Boeing rep now, and encourages students to attend as many professional events as they can before graduating.
“It’s about opening students’ eyes to the possibilities at a company,” she said of her role on campus visits. “I never thought about Boeing until I was there.”
The sessions and in-person contact with a representative can also be tools when looking for future positions.
“That face-to-face interaction with representatives from a company is huge,” Schuberg added. “We do take resumes and answer questions, and it shows you’re proactive.”
For her, that active role in the job search is the best thing a student can do.
“You’re the only one looking out for yourself,” Schuberg said. “Put yourself out on a limb sometimes.”