ChemEng Blogger Experiences...

looking back :(

2009-04-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

well here we are, on our last opportunity to share our stories and advice... its crazy to think that i contacted the CDC to get a job before I got to WPI... I interviewed with them on my first week at WPI and got the job. I started as an office assistant. I learned so much about the resources available to students as well as about the process of interviewing. It was a great department to get involved with so early. I therefore had a resume ready by Freshman year so that when sophomore year came around with apps for off campus IQP's I was more than ready. Two years later I moved on into a Peer Advisor role, where we primarily marketed the Major Exploration Series (which at the time was the Major Selection Program) as well as helped to organize it. I learned even more in this, especially about the resources available as well as interviewing do's and dont's.

As for the rest of my WPI experience: coming in as a First Year, I had NO IDEA what I was getting ready to start: the new people, the new culture, and weather!!! classes were a smooth transition but everything else was a little rougher. I joined a couple of organizations, and with that a world of opportunities appeared before me. I met tons of people through these and I finally felt at home. Interestingly enough the culture lessons kept coming in till about NOW.

With sophomore year coming around, chemical engineering and applying for IQP were some of the top memories. It was definitely an academically busy year. I got accepted into the Thailand project center which I was thrilled about. That summer I got an internship with Johnson and Johnson which was awesome! I was in their pharmaceutical manufacturing department working on the validating process for two products that were about to go into the market = pretty awesome. I did that internship in Puerto Rico.

Junior year = WOW! Some of my best memories come from Junior year. I got very involved on campus and became extremely attached to WPI and the people. I learned a lot about myself, my personality, what I enjoy, and how much I appreciate the people around me. I got an internship for the summer in Miami about October, which was awesome. I also went to Thailand this C term and had the experience of a lifetime (I spent about a month in one of the poorest villages of the country). Finally, watching the Seniors graduate was really sad especially because we had gotten a lot closer to them. It was good to see what lied ahead of us.

Finally, SENIOR YEAR!!! With all its glory, it was definitely busy but eventually you have soo much free time because all your responsabilities kind of drift away. We just had project presentation day this past Thursday which was symbolic of seniors finishing up EVERYTHING! It went well, and now there are just some finishing touches. With Commencement coming up we can't help but get emotional. I find that we are all moving into different places and different programs. We all have different backgrounds, but we shared something truly unique: WPI.

I am finishing up this blog from Houston, where I am signing my apt. for the next year. So already feeling like we're moving on, I say this: I feel like I owe so much to WPI for ALL THE EXPERIENCES that I've gained while being here. A lot of who I am today is because of the education I received, the activities I became involved in, and the people I've met. It's been a wild ride, and something that every First Year should be excited about, every Sophomore should be living, and every Junior should be appreciating. Thank you to everyone who made it so amazing for me!!!!

still in pre-employment!!!

2009-04-17T10:19:00.001-07:00

well... my background check finally passed after two months = incredible. now i've been talking to the relocation company... it looks like ill be moving to houston on June 8th with a work start date of June 15th... i'm so excited! I have a meeting on Monday with the relocation company in order to explain the process I will follow from here on.. yey!

MQPPPPPP!!!

2009-04-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

So Project Presentation Day is around the corner (April 23rd) and I had a meeting for MQP this morning. Pretty much we're going to try to finish our MQP by Project Presentation Day, which would be amazing!!! A couple of things need to be done but not too much. For the Chemical Engineering department, presentations are done vs. posters. I personally like that as well. Can't believe that we're almost there. Getting ready for commencement is getting crazy!!!!

whats next!

2009-04-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

so even though I stressed for a long time about not getting a job, and interviews going poorly it ends up working out in the end. It feels pretty good to say that I have a job to go into. BUT, we all go through that stress at one point of: "easy for you to say". It definitely can feel scary but honestly, the opportunities come when you least expec them. Now, I'm here finishing up my pre-employment paperwork in order to start my relocation process = pretty exciting.

almost alumni!?!?!? what!!!

2009-03-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

so apparently we're almost that "a word" that we call those old people.. ouch... yup: ALUMNI! we had an Alumni Connec tmeeting held by the ALumni Office explaining the services that are offered to ALumni. It's basically a contact database where alumni can connect with each other especially if you'd like to search using involvement or location and company. It seems like a great way to stay in touch. It was also pretty exciting to hear the Senior Class Gift Committee mention our progress on the gift!

loving the sun!!!

2009-03-19T10:05:00.000-07:00

So last week I went to Puerto Rico with a couple of my friends. It was really nice to get some sun for a couple of days. While I was there I had to update some of my pre-employment info since I ran into some trouble with the background check = a little scary. Other than that, I spent some time with the fam which was sooo nice. Looking forward to more sun eventually. :)

one term left!!!! what!!!!!

2009-03-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

I dont even know how to start! wow... three and half years at WPI.... and now heading into my last term here... eeekkk... I guess I would have to say that I have mixed emotions... I'm pretty excited about moving to Houston and starting my job. But at the same time I will miss the college experience of always experiencing new things and especially WPI. Commencement will be fun. All I have left are two classes and MQP. Shouldn't be too much of a bad term. I am a little nervous that I have been in this close-knit community called WPI for the past four years and now I am leaving towards something that is going to be so different. We'll see where that takes me!!!

Next step? background check and paperwork!!!

2009-02-27T10:27:00.000-08:00

Ohh mannn... so as if tax reason wasnt enough, I'm in the middle of pre-employment paperwork. I released all this info about me so they could perform a background check on me. One day, my boss comes up to me, and tells me that she had a pretty tough time having a conversation with my "background checker"... they were convinced I didnt have a job right now. eeek... next week I need to go get a drug test... good times... who knows what picking payment plans and benefits will be like... oohhh maannn... more to come on this!

do I like my major????

2009-02-20T10:55:00.000-08:00

so now that I'm leaving WPI pretty soon, I realize that I spent a lot of time trying to decide a.) what school I would attend for my undergrad... b.) what i wanted to major in ... and c.) what to do with that.... those are all legitimate questions.... I came in as Undecided and didnt really know much about chemical engineering or engineering in general... all i knew is that i was good at math and liked both physics and chem.... still i did some reading and decided that i would do chem eng.... i took the sophomore chem eng series and enjoyed it... still i didnt really know what i could do with it... i attempted to meet with the management department to create some sort of management enginering with a concentration ion chem eng kind of major... but it seemed a little complicated and decided that i might not have the time to crerate this... instead i did a management major.... I took my minor courses and loved them... i still enjoyed chem eng and the background i was getting but realized that I personally didnt want to work in a plant specifically... i wanted to work with people and bigger projects... I am now going into project management as my entry position in a company that thought my major was a good background but still relating to my minor.... the great thing is that WPI is so flexible and the curriculum is so useful that you can go into mostly any field with whatever background you have as long as you pin point what type of working environment you would like...

Interviewing! UYYYY

2009-02-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

Last year I had two on campus interviews after the Fall Career Fair. I did not do any interview practices. I walked into my first interview which was a CATASTROPHE!!!! Some of the things that happened: I was asked to talk about my organization skills. I mentioned that I'm very organized and I love post-its. The interviewer says: "did you know that studies say that people who use post-it notes are very unorganized?!".... oh my god!!!!! By that moment, I could have literally walked myself out of the room and nothing would have been different. That was pretty bad. Ironically right after that, I had an interview with another company which I did end up being hired by. Now, I read about companies, the departments, the locations, and theri products/services. I am ready with questions, pick my outfit days in advance and make sure it's cleaned and pressed. I had a WPI portfolio ready with extra copies of my resume just in case. I've had about 5 interviews this year, and with every single one I have learned something new and useful for my next one. Always see an interview as an option but also as practice for the many to come in the future as well. It definitely is a learning experience. For more info on how to prepare for an interview and about interviews themselves go here: http://www.wpi.edu/Admin/CDC/interviewing.html

Job Finder Week! + Career Fair

2009-02-06T09:48:00.001-08:00

So last week the CDC was in the Campus Center "strutting their stuff". We had a movie with interviews of students talking about how they chose their majorsand other students talk about how their job search process was going. There were also pictures of the Fall Career Fair. The main event was the wheel that students spun if they registered for a JobFinder account (reigster here if you don't have one: https://www.wpi.edu/weblogin/index.cgi). We gave away candy, CDC resources, CDC stress stars and t-shirts, and 24 HOUR RESUME CRITIQUES! Pretty exciting especially right before the career fair. All in all, it was a fun week! This week was the Career Fair, and we videotaped employers talking about how students should prepare for career fairs as well as what kind of info they would like to hear from students when they are approached during a career fair. These will be published soon and added to the facebook page. Join here if you're not a fan yet: become a fan!!!!

Career fair anyone?

2009-02-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

So this Wednesday, Feb. 4th is the internship career fair and Thursday, Feb. 5th is the internships, full time, and coop career fair. Looking back and thinking about what I've done correctly AND INCORRECTLY at career fairs is relatively amusing but also useful. I didn't go to a career fair either my First Year or Sophomore year. This was MY FIRST MISTAKE! I should have gone even though I didn't really want a job in the U.S. I should have gone, or at least volunteered to help the CDC at the Career Fair, just to get a sense of what it looks like, how people dress, where I would need to go, and what employers do and expect. My first career fair was my junior year. I was really hot and I realized my hands were kinda gross. PUT SOME BABY POWDER ON! I also realized that the last thing I wanted to do was think about my outfit during "impressing" time. Make sure to pick your outfit at least a couple days in advance and have it clean and pressed before the day of the career fair. Have updated copies of your resume ready in a professional looking binder (I personally like black). This resume should have been read by the CDC, a roommate, youself (many times), and maybe even an employer. Attend every resume critique possible. A resume can never be too perfect. Actually, funny story about that: well now that I think of it, let's leave that for another moment. Continuing with Career Fairs: make sure to practice your small "talk" about you (your year, your major, what type of position you are looking for, maybe a short professional background, and why you are interested in the company you have approached. This obviously needs some preparation, so go online to www.wpi.edu/+cdc and take a look at the companies that are coming to the career fair each day and do some research. Read about their purpose, their products/services, and locations so oyu can ask educated questions and bring up relative details about yourself that might make you stand out. The purpose of all this is to get you an interview where you can actually shine individually. YOU NEED TO APPROACH THE EMPLOYERS WITH CONFIDENCE AND ENTHUSIASM, becuase if you don't believe that you're great for the job, how will they? They're here recruiting for a reason, they know you have the tools, just research how to show them!!! For more info go to this AWESOME website on how to prepare for a career fair: http://www.programminginterview.com
Get out there!!!

Life After Colllege Speaker

2009-01-23T09:25:00.000-08:00

So yesterday the CDC helped to bring Andy Masters to campus, a speaker from Ft. Lauderdale. It was called Life after College. He spoke about reasons to be inspired to be the best you can be. He mentioned attempting to get that perfect job that you have always dreamed of. About how to get the resources to start your own company if you wished. About not jsut accepting your future but planning it and executing it at the best of your ability. Some of the things that he mentioned that stodd out to me was concepts about the "hidden market". This is the theory that explains that 90% of people are just blindly applying online to 10% of the jobs out there. The other 90% of jobs are not marketed because companies don't like to market. He urged us to be part of the 10% of people who use their contacts to network and find your dream job. He mentioned that an article described that hte average person knows 250 people. So each of those 250 peopke that you know, knows on average 250 people. So each of us potentially has access to at least 62,500 people on average between the people that you know and the people that they know. He suggested that we treat every relationship as a potential networking favor that we might receive in the future. It was interesting to hear this, considering that I got my job through a friend by just sending her my resume hoping she had anything in her department for me. A position hadn't been posted online but there seemed to be a need. Finally, Andy Masters suggested that when we were talking to people and especially interviews we always asked more and more questions. All in all, it was a good speaker to listen to. He was very motivational, especially to underclassmen I find.

winter break continued...

2009-01-16T10:48:00.000-08:00

so other than the lots of sleeping and catching up with family that I did over break... the most productive thing I did was go to an interview... after lunch during the interview I met up with Human Resources which went over the potential benefits of the company. Then I had "meet and greet time" with new hires. I asked them questions about their responsabilities and transitions to the job and city itself. It was very informativre and fun as well. My last interview was a little weirder and the person wasnt as talkative as the other interviewers. Eventually he asked me if I had any questions and I asked a couple of specific questions about the information i hasd received throughout the day. Finally he asked if I had any OTHER questions. So naturally I asked him what process should I follow, and he asked what I meant. I asked if I should expect a call or e-mail at some point or if I should call. He asked "what for?". I was extremely confused. "To see if the job is available and suitable for me?" And he responded "you what a job here? ohhh. why?" it wasnt until this point that I realized that he was humoring me. So I answered why and how I thought it was a good fit for my skills and personality. And he said they agreed and handed me an offer. Interesting to see all this happen. I was so frustrated last term with all the interviews that didn't end up working out. I'm glad I didn't give up and just kept interviewing. It finally came!

interview #4!

2009-01-12T16:16:00.000-08:00

well I went to Houston on Jan. 8th for my interview with Company X... I went to dinner with two new hires and my hostess (the WPI grad of 08). I asked questions about their current responsabilities, their transitions to Houston and the company, and their training. It was actually a lot of fun. I had breakfast with my hostess on the day of my interview. I had 4 (45 minute) interviews before lunch. My first one was with a WPI grad of '76. The interviews were very conversation based. It was more an exchange of information between their experiences with the company and this department in particular and my experiences and projects to see if it was a good match. Throughout the four interviews I asked questions about the different departments within the company that they were describing and the differences on daily tasks etc. I also asked about the current economy crisis and its effect on the work this department did. I also asked about the training offered, how long it would be, and what it consisted of. Throughout the day, different individuals gave me information about the living situation in Houston, exciting things to do and visit, and involvement in the company such as intercompany leagues (including kickball and beach volleyball) and philanthropic events hosted by United Way. This all got me very excited about the company and this department specifically. More to come on this... :)

update!!!

2008-12-29T11:09:00.000-08:00

well the craziest thing happened on the last day of finals... i had a voicemail from a friend (WPI alumni of 2008) she said she was calling as an employee of Company X.. the same company I had interned with... and wanted to bring me up to Houston for an on site interview in her department... this is the friend I had contacted about giving my resume to her boss... interesting how contacts are so helpful... my interview is on January 9th so I'll be traveling to Houston from Jan. 8th-Jan. 10th. Let's see what happens!!!

interview baskets!!!

2008-12-15T12:01:00.000-08:00

so in Oct. and Nov. the CDC was raffling Interview Baskets for both men and women which each had everything ranging from resume paper to lint rollers = soooo exciting. The winners were recently pulled and were Emalee Drake and Brandan Sweet. I am so jealous!!! I hear that the CDC will raffle another basket sometime soon!!!

exciting times...

2008-12-11T12:45:00.000-08:00

In your Senior year, you're thinking that you need to get a job/get into grad school. But what's interesting is that the smallest things can change what you think is the path you're going down. The goals I have now, might change. I'll be calling the department which asked me to wait sometime next week. Let's see what they say. I wonder where I'll actually be this time next year. I'M SO EXCITED!!!

Good to know!

2008-12-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

so one of my bosses over the summer contacted me today asking me how my job searching process was going... I sent him an e-mail back telling him what the situation was and if he had any advice for me/suggestions. Hopefully that will bring some more options. It's funny, because I always hear that it's so important to keep good relations with past bosses/companies because of networking options. But I never really thought how real it was and how much that could potentially affect you. Good to know!

looking at my options...

2008-12-09T10:33:00.000-08:00

I've been looking at the option of either taking part in a part-time MBA at WPI or applying to the Advanced Distance Learning Network and do an MBA through that. I've been reading a bit here and there: http://cpe.wpi.edu/Individual/Distance/graddegree.html. I'd need the application, three letters of recommendation, and my transcripts. It seems like a very possible option for me :)

didn't know!!!

2008-12-08T09:05:00.000-08:00

So I was looking around the CDC site as well as my JobFinder account and realized that there's this awesome tool which tells you the average salary of a certain individual with a certain degree with a certain job title. That's really useful especially when coming to compare job offers ad starting to accept/negotiate/decline them. This tool is in the JobFinder account homepage/Career Search/Salary Wizard = NICE!!!

fresh start ;)

2008-11-18T11:43:00.000-08:00

so not too much ended up working out until now... but I do have more practice with interviews, both on campous as well as on site. That will definitely be useful. As for my fresh start: I've contacted a couple of people including my bosses from my summer internship to see if they have any suggestions for me / who I should contact. So hopefully we'll see where to go from there. I'm excited!!!

and the word is...

2008-11-11T09:32:00.001-08:00

So I heard back from the department in Houston... they decided that it wasn't a good fit for me unfortunately.. the other department called me today and told me to wait because they hadn't interviewed anyone else yet and they would early December. So, I'm going to call my bosses from the summer and ask them if they have recommendations for any other departments within the company that I could interview with. I'm sure something else will come up but I havce to pick it up now.

Still waiting

2008-11-05T10:47:00.000-08:00

so I e-mailed my contact recruiter on saturday to see if there was any progress in my application process. I still haven't heard back from him, so I called another contact I had (the one who called me from Argentina) to ask her but she wasn't at her desk. So I left a message and hopefully someone will get back at me soon. :(

uyyy... :(

2008-10-28T09:56:00.001-07:00

So I still haven't heard from the department in Houston with Company X. I really want that job. I e-mailed my contact person about two weeks from when I went to interview and I got an automatic reply from his e-mail telling me that he was out of the office until Oct. 27th because he was in Nigeria. I got a phone call the next day from another representative from the same department telling me that she was in Argentina and that they weren't going to be able to get back to me until the following week. I started getting scared so when a different department in Company X called me for an on-site interview I said yes. I just went this past weekend. I flew down to Fairfax, VA on Sunday, and returned last night. I enjoyed the experience but I really prefer the department in Houston since the job seems to fit my personality much better as well as I really really like Houston. A friend of mine, received an offer from the same company but with a different department down in Houston as well and has offered to get an apt. with me. Unfortunately, I still have no offer and I'm really worried. Let's see what happens. :(