The U.S. economy’s burgeoning tech sector had a capacity crowd of 250 companies from across the nation converging on campus this fall in search of talented students.

The Fall Career Fair filled the Sports and Recreation Center’s fieldhouse Oct. 2 with 1,437 registered students taking advantage of the opportunity to meet more than 750 recruiters. The next day 51 companies remained to conduct more than 1,000 interviews to fill full time, internship and co-op work positions – some starting as early as the end of the current fall academic quarter.

Companies lining up to interview students this fall included Collins Aerospace, ArcelorMittal, Cummins Engine, Milwaukee Tool, Marathon Petroleum, Eli Lilly & Company, DMI, Baxter Healthcare, Edgile and North American Lighting, as well as Caterpillar, General Electric, Texas Instruments, U.S. Steel, Honeywell, National Instruments, Honda, Rolls-Royce, Allison Transmission, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Steel Dynamics, Zimmer Biomet, Beckman Coulter, Valeo, Software Engineering Professionals, Duke Energy, Endress+Hauser and Kimball Electronics.

“Students of all classes are reaping the benefits of a robust economy, especially those companies in STEM areas. Every company, no matter large or small, has needs for enterprising people with technical skills,” says Scott Tieken, director of career services and employer relations.

In fact, 85 companies at this year’s career fair were searching for civil engineering majors to fill current or future openings. The Department of Civil Engineering has only 33 seniors in the 2020 graduating class.

Tieken reports the demand continues to be high for computer science, software engineering and computer engineering students. He then adds, “Really, there’s a seller’s market for a graduating senior in any major who has a well-polished resume, good interview skills, past work experiences and a strong academic record. The fall career gets them off to a great start, if they aren’t already looking at available options.”

Students were well prepared for those opportunities. The Office of Career Services’ new SuitUp Day offered students discounts on professional wardrobe attire. A Career Boot Camp had prospective employers reviewing student’s resumes and interview skills. Nearly every first-year student attended a Rock Your Resume and Career Fair workshop. And a long list of companies hosted information sessions on campus before and during the career fair.

This was the first of three career fairs that Rose-Hulman hosts each school year.

Senior mathematics major Adam Baker came to the Fall Career Fair searching for a position in data science or data analytics after having three summer internships. He says, “My freshman year, my resume was non-existent and coming to the career fair was an intimidating experience. But, I found an internship (with Elanco) and now, three years later, I’m much more confident in myself and talking with companies about the skills that I can bring to any job. In so many ways, Rose-Hulman has set me up for the future.”

Rose-Hulman has a placement average of 97 percent for each graduating class during the past decade. This statistic covers all graduating seniors, as tracked by the career services office.