When it comes to helping Huskies get hired, Michigan Technological University goes
beyond the expected — providing a weeks-long Career Fest that offers students a wealth
of opportunities to form relationships, explore opportunities and find their path
to a fulfilling career.
Career fairs are nothing new. Every semester, most universities offer students the
opportunity to attend a recruiting event to introduce themselves to potential employers
and maybe share a resume or two.
While job fairs and career expos have proved their value, Michigan Tech’s Career Services
office has been going above and beyond for more than a decade. Career Fest, which saw its beginnings in 2013, provides workshops, resume reviews and a series
of casual networking and recruiting events during the weeks leading up to Career Fair.
This year’s fall Career Fest took place Sept. 9-23 and was capped off with Career
Fair on Sept. 24 and Interview Day on Sept 25.
Career Fest: Forged in Steel
In the early 2010s, Michigan Tech’s Career Services office saw a decline in attendance
at employer “info sessions” leading up to Career Fair and began experimenting with
new and different formats.
In fall 2013, Steel Day was introduced — an informal expo attended by four companies:
ArcelorMittal, Cleveland-Cliffs, Gerdau and Nucor. These employers highlighted career
options in the steel industry in an effort to attract students to their industry generally,
and their booths at Career Fair more specifically. In fall 2014, Steel Day was repeated,
and a student-organized Petroleum Day was held in a similar fashion. The success of
both these events led to more like them in fall 2015, and Career Fest, as the Tech
community knows it today, was born.
“Michigan Tech’s Career Fest has always been a fantastic opportunity for students
and companies to connect with each other in a more informal, casual environment,”
said Cody Kangas, executive director of Career Services at Michigan Tech. “It’s where
students can meet prospective employers, not just to apply for jobs, but to engage
in real conversations about their futures. The atmosphere of Fest offers a chance
to ask questions, learn, and showcase both interest and drive. It enables space for
students to be proactive, forge connections, and fine-tune their approach as they
warm up for fall Career Fair.”
Highlights of this year’s Career Fest included Michigan Day (Sept. 10), GM Energy
Day (Sept. 20) and Career Services Partner Day (Sept. 23).
Students who attended Career Fest events came prepared – and came en masse – to the
Student Development Complex for Career Fair on Sept. 24.
On Michigan Day, Michigan-based employers set up booths on Husky Plaza in an effort
to recruit and retain talent in the state of Michigan. In partnership with InvestUP,
the University invited companies from across the Upper Peninsula and Michigan to talk
with students about career opportunities available in the state of Michigan.
“In light of the need that the region has to grow our population with the next generation
of talent and the need our employers have for that talent, this partnership with Michigan
Tech provides a critically important opportunity,” said Amy Berglund, director of
business initiatives at InvestUP. “The day gives talented students at Michigan Tech
a practical understanding of the impressive and diverse employers that would provide
students the chance to make their career in the same special place they received their
education.”
Huskies Come Home
An added benefit to MTU’s Career Fest? The presence of alumni. Throughout the weeks of Career Fest, as well as at Career Fair, Michigan Tech alumni
were out in full force to chat with their fellow Huskies.
Wade Sheffer, vice president of GM Energy and a 1996 mechanical engineering grad,
was on hand for the first-ever GM Energy Day, which provided students with the opportunity
to learn more about GM Energy’s future technology and check out two electric vehicles
(EVs): an EV Hummer and an EV Silverado.
Wade Sheffer ’96, VP of GM Energy, and his General Motors team brought an EV Hummer
and an EV Silverado to show their next generation of employees the kinds of technology
they’ll be working on at GM.
“It was a genuine honor to return to Michigan Tech as a representative of General
Motors and to share the innovative projects we are pursuing at GM Energy with the
next generation of problem-solvers and leaders,” said Sheffer, vice president of GM
Energy. “The world currently needs fearless individuals who are ready to put in the
work to forge new paths ahead, which is why I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to
engage with the students at MTU’s Career Fest.”
Students engaged with alumni representatives from a wide range of industries, from
multinational tech companies like Amazon, to North America’s largest steel manufacturer
(and Career Fair sponsor) Nucor, to local and state employers like Erhardt Construction.
“My colleagues from Amazon and I were thrilled to be a part of MTU’s Career Fest,”
said Todd Geib, a senior cloud infrastructure architect with Amazon and 1998 Michigan
Tech electrical engineering graduate. “Engaging with such talented, innovative students
reaffirms our commitment to fostering the next generation of leaders at Amazon. We
look forward to growing connections and creating opportunities for these bright minds
to shape the future.”
“I found the Michigan Tech Career Fair to be extremely well planned and executed,”
said Ben Wickstrom, president and CEO of Erhardt Construction and a 1998 civil engineering
graduate. “As an employer, I appreciated the clear communication and logistics to
make such a large event go smoothly. Additionally, I was impressed with the caliber
of students I engaged with during the event.”
Career Fair: Not Just for Engineers
While Michigan Tech is widely regarded as a STEM school with a strong foundation in
engineering, Career Fest and Career Fair offer opportunities for students of all backgrounds.
For marketing major Nathaniel Vogler, a senior who plans to graduate in spring 2025,
Michigan Tech’s Career Fest and Career Fair have opened several doors.
Career Fair makes it clear why The Wall Street Journal consistently ranks Michigan
Tech as the number one university in Michigan – and the third best public college
in the nation – for best salaries among its graduates.
“My sophomore year, I went to Career Fair, made the rounds and passed out my resume,”
said Vogler. “A lot of companies told me they weren’t recruiting for marketing, but
would be happy to pass my resume along to their marketing departments.”
Those companies were true to their word, and Vogler landed a summer internship with
Boldt Construction in Appleton, Wisconsin.
“Last year, when I was a junior, a lot more companies were seeking marketing majors,”
Vogler continued. “I went to a lot of the Career Fest events in the weeks leading
up to Career Fair, and I ended up spending some time at the Stellantis booth. I then
followed up with them at Career Fair, gave them my resume and answered some of their
questions to see if I would be a good culture match for the company.”
Vogler went through the interview process and landed an internship with Stellantis
during summer 2024. At this fall’s Career Fair, Vogler was happy to see that even
more companies were recruiting marketing majors.
“It’s been very reciprocative,” he said, noting that he’s thrown his hat in the ring
with a few well-known companies. “I’ve been very successful at Michigan Tech’s Career
Fair, even as a non-engineering major.”
Recruited to Recruit
The median early career salary for Michigan Tech alums? $80,300.
For Zekelman Industries, a Chicago-based steel company, fall 2024 marked their first
experience with a Michigan Tech Career Fair. As anyone with a map knows, no one arrives
in Houghton by accident. What brought Zekelman to the shores of Lake Superior? A fantastic
intern.
“Following a very successful summer internship with a Michigan Tech student, we engaged
directly with the University to partner more closely,” said Andrea Seymour, Zekelman’s
vice president of talent acquisition. “Our organization is doing a lot with automation,
robotics and programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and our Michigan Tech intern worked
on a project to automate a process in a local plant with great success. The work he
did was simple but impressive, utilizing materials we had on-site. It caught the attention
of our CEO and my team.”
“These are exactly the type of people we’re looking for to be the future of our company.
These are the students we want to get in front of. We want them to have long careers
with us and take us to the next level.”Andrea Seymour, vice president of talent acquisition, Zekelman Industries
Before arriving on campus, Zekelman made the call to become a gold sponsor of the
fall 2024 Career Fair. And after spending time with more Michigan Tech students, the
company is confident in its decision.
“I was very impressed with the fall career fair. The quality of companies in attendance
and the volume of students that participated was impressive,” said Seymour. “The students
were well prepared with resumes in hand and engaging and thoughtful questions about
our company. It’s typical for individuals to be unfamiliar with our organization and
subsequent brands, but once they understand who we are, what we make and why it matters,
the interest increases quickly. Career fairs like this allow us the opportunity to
showcase our products and share the value employees of Zekelman bring to our communities
by producing them every day.”
Going forward, look for more of those employees to be Michigan Tech grads.
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
