Undergraduate Programs

Career Services

This is what we do; Placement in internships, career fairs, etiquette lessons, practice interviews and resume consultation. Think of us as “Get Hired: 101”.

Purdue’s reach and reputation ensures that we are a valuable resource for employers worldwide. Job fairs and visits to the Purdue campus are annual events for hundreds of businesses in search of new talent. Our students honor us and their families through their professionalism, sincerity and desire.

The recruiters love us – well, actually they love our graduates. The most current rankings (2010) list us as the 4th best business program in the nation according to recruiters. They mention Boiler traits; Intellect. Determination. Ability.

Spend a few minutes exploring the items below. They give you a good idea of the services we offer and how seriously we take your career.

Career Placement Statistics

Click below to download Career Placement Statistics:

Academic Plan

Your career strategy begins with the classes you take. You need to have a semester-by-semester plan to achieve your goals. Your advisor will work with you to develop and review your plan.

This process really only works if you are open and honest about your career goals. It's ok to have big dreams. It's ok to have different dreams. Purdue students have a long history of doing great things and doing things their own way.

Your academic advisor can guide you through course selections, clubs and other activities that will help you learn and grow, but also look great on your resume. Employers don't expect you to have much career experience, so leadership and involvement on campus are crucial.

Almost as soon as you begin classes you can use the Krannert Professional Development Center. Most of the services listed on this page are found there.

Presentations

Presentation skills are so important. From presenting yourself in a job interview to leading a room full of teammates to making a sale, the ability to organize your thoughts, present them well and engage your audience (even if it's only one person) are essential. The career topic presentation will help you develop these skills.

You can pick a topic from class and create a video that could be used by a college freshman, instructing them how to prepare for their career search. Your video will be reviewed and assessed by Career Services and there is a required self-assessment each student must complete.

PowerPoint and other visual communication tools can be used also.

Company Research

Before approaching a recruiter, students need to know information about the organization. Is it a good fit for what you want? Do I appreciate and feel comfortable with the corporate cultural? Are there opportunities that interest me? Will this employer support my growth over time?

The company research project helps students answer these questions so that they can make better decisions. This should be done for every company a student plans to contact.

Elevator Pitch

An elevator pitch is a very brief way to present yourself. It is so named because it should be clear enough that you could present it to a stranger on an elevator ride. You must:

Schedule your Elevator Pitch in the Professional Development Center
Be prepared
Be on time
Dress in business professional attire
Bring 2 copies of your resume
Bring a copy of the job description

You will be present your elevator pitch to a graduate student playing the part of a recruiter. Your pitch will be videotaped and you will be required to review yourself on the video. In addition to feedback from the Professional Development Center staff. This is a tremendous opportunity for students to evaluate and improve their performance.

Etiquette & Appearance

You don't know what you don't know. Until you have experienced fine dining, a business meeting, a job interview, you don't know what to expect or what is expected of you. Our team can help you be prepared for these and other situations.

It can seem awkward or off-putting having someone assess your appearance. But hair style and grooming, clothing choices, manners and mannerisms are very important components of how you will present yourself to potential employers. You should know that we have seen every mistake possible, so relax. You will be fine.

We can help you assess your presentation and work with you on modifications that might enhance your image.

LinkedIn Profile

Networking is one of the best career resources you can use. Career Services is developing a LinkedIn network for alumni and current students. It is a great way to reach Krannert alumni in many industries and companies throughout the world. Many students are not familiar with LinkedIn. Career Services can help you establish your LinkedIn profile and begin making contacts.

LinkedIn is not a social media outlet like facebook or twitter. It is a professional environment. Work, industry and career are the only accepted topics.

Mock Interviews

The only way to prepare for a job interview is go through one. The Professional Development Center performs mock interviews - you apply for a realistic-but-fictitious job and interview for the position with someone from Krannert playing the part of the interviewer. It will be videotaped for you to review and evaluate your own performance. Our team will also critique your performance and suggest areas where you could improve. You must:

Schedule your Mock Interview in the Career Services office
Be prepared
Be on time
Dress in business professional attire
Bring 2 copies of your resume
Bring a copy of the job description

Our team will put you through a realistic job interview experience - something many of our students have never encountered.

Personality Assessment

Jung-Myers-Briggs Typology is a personality assessment used to help you identify personal preferences useful in career development. It involves completing a comprehensive self-assessment questionnaire and interpreting the results. There are simple guidelines and tools you use to accomplish this. Once complete, students bring their assessment to class to discuss the results and how they affect the student's career aspirations.

Networking Plan

Nothing good happens by accident. Networking is an activity that requires planning and intention. Students need to identify 10 companies that are potentially attractive employment prospects. They then research them to identify alumni, search job postings and assess whether the company is really of interest to you.

Social Media & Your Career

Chances are you are quite familiar with facebook and maybe twitter. We're guessing that LinkedIn is a bit less familiar. It is the social media for business.

We will help you understand how to use LinkedIn (and other social media) to your benefit. Lesson #1 - be careful what you say. It can be found. Jokes, insults and innuendo can all seem harmless. But when an employer discovers an inappropriate comment attributed to you, your chances of getting hired by that person just fell dramatically. No matter who you are, where you go to school or what you want to do - be professional in all social media activity. 'nuff said.

We'll help you craft profiles, engage in professional conversations, promote yourself with dignity and find opportunities.

Professional Photograph

Related to social media and appearance, the photograph you use in social media sets an important first impression. Our team can take a professional photograph for you to use. This is a free service and can be scheduled through our office. This is an electronic image only, no prints will be produced.