Polished, Prepared and Professional…

Paper Science is a wonderful job field with a plethora of opportunities for engineers. Along with having the highest starting salary, Paper Science Engineering is one of the most important manufacturing industries in the United States today. In addition to the 100% job placement out of college, there are an incredibly large number of students who participate in an internship or co-op program with Paper Science companies. What may come as a surprise, is that over half of all freshman will hold an internship or co-op for the upcoming year, with many obtaining them within the first few weeks of the school year, yes, the first week of the school year.

What makes PSE Freshman Shine

The investment from the faculty and staff, specifically Dr. Med Byrd and Ms. Jennifer Piercy, prepare us well.  Since enrolling at NC State, the freshman class has worked tirelessly to make themselves professional and presentable to the job market. Dr. Byrd requires all freshmen to submit a resume before the beginning of classes in August so that he can individually examine and polish them before interviews begin. Along with resume building, the freshman class annually attend an off campus retreat during the first weekend of school, and a large portion of the retreat was devoted to a professional development boot-camp.  Industry support is a driving force behind this retreat, thank you Domtar  for your support, it was greatly appreciated.  Dr. Byrd and Jennifer Piercy discuss how to create a proper resume, look and act professional during interviews, reviewed common questions for multiple different interview types, and taught both basic and advanced interviewing skills. To implement these practices and newfound knowledge, the freshman class was required to complete a mock interview a week after the professional development boot-camp. International Paper donates a week to preform mock interviews, ensuring that all freshman are exposed to a real live interview experience.

Face-to-Face Interview…no Problem

Much of the freshman class feel incredibly prepared for the actual face-to-face interview, with more than half of the freshman class landing jobs within the first few weeks of school. 2018 freshman Carlton Emerson said “before entering the Paper Science program, I felt unprepared and nervous about interviewing for a job, but after the retreat with the professional development and the intensive resume building, I felt prepared and confident to get a job as an 18 year old freshman.” Carlton had an internship this past summer with Westrock. Freshman Haiden Jones explained that the mock interview he had was a great learning experience for the future: “I was super nervous during the mock interview, but at the end I figured out how to improve my interviewing skills. I then used this advice to change my resume and interviewing style, and I went into the interview much more confident and eager to interview.” Haiden also had an internship this summer with International Paper.

NC State’s Paper Science students are very unique in that many students complete multiple internships and/or co-op experiences during their college career unlike other majors at other universities across the country. Some students complete close to a full year of co-op and/or internship experience before graduating! The standard set, is that entering freshman will all participate in Professional Development Training and Resume Building, the building blocks for obtaining a job. NC State Paper Science students are truly at an advantage in the job field with this training, leaving the possibilities endless for “Oh Happy Day”…graduation.

By Guest Blogger Remington Hough