Federal • Ken
Pham, a senior electrical engineering
major, considers a career with the FBI.
Erika Jones / Online Forty-Niner
Engineering job fair builds corporate connections
By Amber Muranaka
Online Forty-Niner
Assistant City Editor
Tuesday’s Engineering Job Fair was an engineering student’s dream.
More than 77 companies attended the fair, including Boeing, Southern California
Edison, Caltrans, Disneyland and many more. This year had the largest employer
turnout.
“
There are twice as many employers this year than last year,” said Lorena
Ochoa, a Career Development Center representative. “The fair started four
years ago with about 20 employers. Now, there are so many employers who want
to recruit here that many companies have to go on a wait list.”
Senior computer engineering student Brisa Alatorre was nervous and hoping to
find an internship that would help her get her foot in the door in the engineering
field.
“
I want to get some experience because I’m going to graduate in a year and
I honestly feel that some of the best companies are here today,” Alatorre
said.
Aside from recruiting employees, some employers were giving tips to students,
such as improving their resumes and preparing them for interviews.
One common trait most of the employers were looking for was communication.
“
Other than being an engineering student with a good GPA, we are looking for people
who have great communication skills,” said Donna Young, a Disneyland
recruiter.
“
We have openings in all sorts of fields: merchandising, foods, guest services.
People who are enthusiastic and are people-friendly will be able to represent
our company in a positive way.”
Gordon Siebert, the vice president of Operations for CSG Consultants Inc. was
also looking for people with communication skills.
“
We’re looking for students with confidence who can communicate effectively,” Siebert
said. “Someone who has drive and the ability to push themselves is a very
important quality.”
This was the first year CSG Consultants Inc. participated in the job fair. Very
few students had come by their booth, but they offered entry-level civil structural
engineering positions. They also have an even ratio of men and women in their
firm.
Many summer internships were also available to non-engineering students.
Beckman Coulter, a biomedical testing company, was seeking candidates in other
areas, such as communications, finance, human resources, manufacturing, marketing,
sales and service, and science.
They also offered a paid internships for mechanical, electrical, software validation
and industrial design.
Disneyland employers also offered full-time jobs and internships, as well as
part-time and hourly jobs throughout the year.
Caltrans recruiter Paula Durham graduated from CSULB in 1984 and has been with
her company for 22 years.
“
I got my start after I graduated, and Caltrans came here looking for employees,” Durham
said. “It’s a great company.”
Many companies also required their potential employees to take a civil service
examination. The test is designed to test knowledge of using and adjusting precision
surveying instruments; methods, material, tools and equipment used in highway
and bridge construction and maintenance work; and proportioning and handling
surfacing material and handling of oils and emulsions.
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