Close to 300 Students Sought Employment Through CareerConnect’s Technology & Retail Nights

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

On April 20 2017, Bunker Hill Community College hosted its third Technology Night. This installment of a series of spring career fairs is an evening specifically targeting opportunities in the tech industry. This event drew 146 BHCC students and alumni as well as 12 employers and tech recruiters. This was an excellent opportunity for students and recent graduates to socialize and connect with their peers, industry professionals and employers to learn the newest employment trends as well as discover career pathways and opportunities.

A wide variety of sectors within the field of technology were represented including: defense, cybersecurity, eCommerce, advertising, edTech, business solutions and more. Of the 12 hiring companies that participated, two were Learn & Earn partners which included Raytheon and Tufts Technology Services. Others included NWN Corporation, Arnold Worldwide, Alexander Technology Group and Kronos. As a result, several BHCC students and alumni were invited to interviews the very next day. BHCC alumni also played a role in Tech Night by coaching students at the networking roundtables, as well as nine of our current Microsoft interns.

A total of 32 active majors attended. The top five majors included: 26% Computer Science Transfer, 11% Engineering Transfer, 11% Network Technology, 10% Info Technology Security and 9% Information Technology Transfer.
Students reported that “Refining my Career Path” was the most valuable experience at this event, followed by industry exposure, networking and job opportunities. Students also reported that the event time and location exceeded expectations as well as the networking prep materials that were sent in advance of the event.

On average, students made between three and five new professional connections or talked with employers. Seventy-one percent of students said they would absolutely recommend future Technology Career and Networking Events to other students.

Retail
In what has become a ‘must attend’ end-of-semester event for any student looking for a part-time or seasonal-type position following finals, the Spring CareerConnect Retail Job Fair took place on April 25 in the BHCC D-Lounge.

Students from every program of study were invited to attend as 14 employers, spanning a wide range of industries, recruited for a variety of well-paying, flexible positions. Featured employers included well-known names like Legal Harborside, Skechers USA, Primark, Mary Kay and Colwen Hotels who offered excellent opportunities in retail sales, restaurant management, merchandising, cosmetics and customer service.

These roles not only came with very competitive compensation levels (anywhere from $13-16/hour), but they were designed with a level flexibility meant to fit with just about any BHCC student’s summer or semester schedule. Many of the employers in attendance have visited campus to recruit on multiple occasions, and several were heard commenting that BHCC was one of their favorite places to find new talent.
The event drew a great turnout as 132 BHCC students (representing 38 different majors) participated and had a chance to connect directly with hiring managers.  BJ’s Wholesale, a long-standing employer partner for BHCC’s Learn & Earn Internship program, once again made a generous donation of various professional wear items that student attendees had the opportunity to receive–for free!

This last recruiting event of the semester was organized and managed by the career services staff. Thanks again to all BHCC students and faculty who participated and helped make this last event a culmination of a very successful semester of employer recruiting on campus. If you’d like to learn more about BHCC Career Services, keep track of future professional development events or explore all the career-related resources available to students, please visit: bhcc.edu/careerservices.