It’s never too early to start planning for future career opportunities. To help Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students who are interested in identifying, planning for, and achieving future career goals, the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) is hosting the annual Spring Career Fair today.

More than 2,000 (and counting) Rensselaer undergraduate and graduate students will have an opportunity to meet and talk representatives from nearly 150 public- and private-sector employers.

Now, in its 13th year, the fair is designed to help students think ahead to potential full-time, co-op, internship, or summer employment opportunities.

“Career Fairs provide employers with an opportunity to meet students informally in a relatively short period of time,” said Dawn Cairns-Weaver, director of experiential learning and cooperative education, who is also serving as chair for the Spring Career Fair. “Today’s employers really desire students who have had some experience while in college. This is what gives a student the competitive edge when it comes to landing a full-time job.”

“When it comes to students, we have encouraged them to make an effort to attend Career Fairs because they provide them with an opportunity to network with prospective employers, obtain information about various industries, and generate a list of contacts,” Cairns-Weaver said. “Career Fairs can also present students with a personal opportunity to express interest in a company. We always tell our students to never underestimate the personal power of sharing your resume with an employer representative in person.”

In an effort to literally place the “power to prepare for the fair in the hands of Rensselaer students,” the CCPD also launched a full-feature iPhone, iPad, and Android app.  The Career Fair+ App provides Rensselaer students with instant access to all important information they will need for the Career Fair including a map, employer profiles and the type of positions they are recruiting for, and tips for success.

In addition, to help students dress to impress for the Career Fair, the RPI Clothes Closet is a new resource on campus for students to find appropriate professional attire. The idea was created by a student in order to help students make a great first impression in a professional setting. The clothes closet consists of men’s and women’s professional and business casual clothing and accessories donated by volunteers of Rensselaer faculty, staff, students, alumni, the neighboring community, and area companies. There are no fees charged to the student for using the closet. Students have the option to keep the item of clothing or donate it back.

This year, 85 employers participating in the fair hail from New York state and the Northeast, including several Capital Region-based companies. More than 25 percent of the employers are new to recruiting at Rensselaer.

Participating companies include: AngioDynamics, Bloomberg, Blue Sky Studios, Boeing, Central Hudson Gas & Electric, Deloitte, Dow Jones, Ecovative Design, FactSet Research Systems Inc., GE, GlobalFoundries, Hasbro, IBM, Mathworks, Newell Rubbermaid, Lutron Electronics Co. Inc., MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Palantir Technologies, Pitney Bowes Inc., Schlumberger, Stryker Orthopaedics, The Blackstone Group, University of New Hampshire Law School, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, and ZS Associates.

The overall mission of the Center for Career and Professional Development is to be a catalyst in the development of Rensselaer students to become world leaders in a technologically based global economy. The center is focused on providing programs and services to assist students in discovering and clarifying career choices, and to teach them to manage their careers effectively.

In addition to the CCPD, other Rensselaer groups that helped to support the event include the Division of Student Life, several academic departments and administrators, student athletes, ROTC students, and Rensselaer Union student clubs.

For more information about the Career Fair, visit: http://www.rpi.edu/dept/cdc/employers/fairs.recruiter1.html