Every spring and fall, the BGE team heads to various universities where we set up shop to interact with and potentially recruit young talent. Career fairs have that unique flair where excitement intersects with curiosity and career opportunities.
But for all you recent and soon-to-be grads out there, have you considered how to get the most out of your experience at these fairs? Have you thought about how to stand out and leave a lasting impression?
Let’s go behind the scenes and explore how BGE approaches career fairs and what our team looks for in new recruits.
Our Approach
Haylee Morrison
When determining who will attend our booth at a career fair, we like to have engineers with real-life experiences represent BGE. Whether articulating specifics about their current projects or just painting a picture of their careers to date, we choose people who can establish empathy with young grads just starting out – showing them what’s possible. And, of course, being bright and welcoming is always a plus!
While our team members are always excited when they learn they’ve been chosen to represent BGE at the fairs, they also take their role very seriously. They were graduates once, too, so they know what it’s like to be on the other side.
This might sound biased, but our recruitment team puts a lot of effort into our booths’ aesthetic and dynamic quality. Brand colors, swag, informational material – all of these reflect how committed we are to finding and fostering young talent.
We also focus on developing and maintaining lasting relationships with the engineering schools themselves, and the recruiting seasons significantly play into that effort. In the lead-up to the fairs, our teams engage the schools on social media and take guest speaking roles when the opportunity permits
Our Advice
Kara Britt
My passion for getting involved in career fairs started back in college. I was interested in helping freshmen. So, as a sophomore through my senior year of college, I mentored several girls enrolled in civil engineering courses.
Every week we would go over study habits and campus life – how to balance it all. And when the career fair came around, I would host a “career fair 101” where we would discuss how they should dress, how they should prepare and what to do once they get there.
That’s how I got to BGE, actually. I met an HR representative and some engineers at the UT Austin booth and secured an internship, followed by full-time employment.
Based on my experience attending these fairs as a graduate and a BGE engineer, it helps if you’ve heard or learned about some of the firm’s work ahead of the career fair.
I get a lot of questions from students and grads asking who we are and what we do, which is fine. But having some industry knowledge helps you stand out early.
At the same time, while it’s normal not to know what kind of engineering you’re interested in, it doesn’t hurt to give it some thought. I know I struggled with that back in the day!
Suppose you tell me that you’re interested in water resources or designing roads and want to work in Houston. In that case, it’s easier for us to align an opportunity with your preferences.
New hires get complete on-the-job training and continuous support with their career pathways – from mentorship opportunities to cross-department collaboration that exposes them to different areas of civil engineering. So, if you see us on the list for a career fair at your school, be sure to drop by our booth and have a chat. It could be the start of something exciting!
