Whenever an employer wants to hire one of our students, the Office of Career Services first instructs them to post their opening in Handshake.
ET Careers Handshake contains descriptions of the types of positions employers are looking to fill, such as internships, co-ops, full-time and part-time opportunities. It also has positions across the United States listed. If you are looking for a position within engineering or technology, start here first.
Once you have an account set up, you will want to upload a resume. You must have an uploaded resume to be able to apply for jobs. This can be done at the same time you create your profile or can be done at a later time.
Our new platform, hosted by Handshake, has some fantastic features to help you locate open positions. For more details on Handshake and how to use it, please visit HERE.
Please note, students must be enrolled in classes to log in to their Handshake account. Please wait about 24 hours after enrolling before logging in. You do not need to request an account, as all enrolled students will receive access automatically.
Purdue CCO is the centralized job listing system for Purdue West Lafayette. As a degree-seeking Purdue student/alumni, you have access to this system after completing a semester within the School of Engineering and Technology. System access requires a declared major or degree within the School of Engineering and Technology.
Keep in mind the following:
In addition to ET Careers and Purdue CCO, other places that have proven sucessful for our students to locate openings include the following:
Networking is easy. Connect with as many people as you can on LinkedIn, right? Wrong! True networking is the foundation for relationship building. In order for that foundation to build, there has to be a genuine connection between you and the person you are networking with.
Who is in my network?
Your professional network is larger than you realize. Your network consists of personal, professional, online and organizational connections. It can also consist of incidental connections like when you're waiting in line or on a plane or even the waiting room at the doctor's office.
Networking Receptions
These events are usually hosted by an organization and are an opportunity for you to meet people from a particular industry or social group. The primary goal of attending these events is to meet new people.
What to Say
Introduce yourself, ask what brought them to the event. Ask questions about them such as what you do for a living, where are you from, how long have you been a member of this group. The goal is to see who you have things in common with, connect with them and maintain that relationship so that when you need to ask them for a referral or informational interview it doesn't seem so random.
What to do with your contacts?
Job searching is hard, especially when you are looking for a job in another state or country. Although the same concept, you have to alter your game plan when you're trying to land a job from afar.
Buzzfile
Have no idea what companies are located in the area? Have no fear! Buzzfile to the rescue! Use the site to research companies by state and then by area of interest or your major. It will give you basic company information including a description, the industry and annual revenue.
To get started, go to buzzfile.com, click on buzzfile.edu and then click on "employers by major."
Local Universities
Find a local university and use their career services to help you find companies that are hiring. Access their career fair information for a list of companies attending. This will get you an idea of who is actually hiring. Some schools also let students from other universities attend their career fairs - just check with them first!
NaceLink Jobs
With over 600 participating schools, and 5 million employers, NaceLink is one of the largest recruiting networks for college career centers.
LinkedIn can be used in a variety of ways to help with your search.
