Students and Employers Reflect on Bi-annual Supply Chain Recruiting Event

This semester’s Supply Chain Recruiting Event, the Poole College of Management’s only recruiting event exclusive to one of its degree concentrations, took place on Thursday, September 26th at the McKimmon Center, bringing together 45 companies and 149 students with an interest in supply chain career and internship opportunities.

Similar to the college’s bi-annual Career and Internship Fair in that it provides an open setting for students to engage with employers seeking up-and-coming talent, the Supply Chain Recruiting Event differs in that it provides employers the opportunity to engage more closely with students due to its smaller setting — although attendance continues to grow each semester. “It also helps that the companies know the students there have an interest and experience in their field of work,” said Tracy Freeman, Teaching Assistant Professor in Operations and Supply Chain Management.

The event was part of the college’s Career Week, which included several other career-oriented events for students such as a Career Fair Boot Camp, an Inclusive Recruiting Reception and Inclusive Leader Breakfast, and the Poole College Career and Internship Fair. The week of events provides students an opportunity to get their resume reviewed, prepare pitches, and meet with 150+ companies coming to campus.

For the Supply Chain Recruiting Event, students enjoyed having the chance to learn about the unique employment opportunities presented by the attending companies exclusive to their field of interest. “I just spoke to Ecolab, and I really liked hearing about their leadership development program. It seems very flexible, but also very informative as well,” Gil Ravid, a senior studying supply chain who plans to graduate this December, said at the event. “Ideally, I will end up with a full-time job, but I am hoping for at least a few interviews, which would give me some great experience, too.”

The college has been hosting the Supply Chain Recruiting Event for ten years now, and more companies than ever are attending to speak with students like Ravid to help build their talent base, because they know the quality of prospects the Poole College of Management provides. “We came here tonight looking for supply chain interns and potential full-time candidates. We’re looking for candidates who are confident, well-spoken, and have strong problem-solving backgrounds,” said Casey Burcher, Manager of Merchandise Planning at Hanesbrands Inc. “We’ve been attending this event for several years now, and we always find some promising talent here.”

Altria, another company that has been attending the event for several years and is a close partner of the college’s Supply Chain Resource Cooperative, attended this semester’s event looking for new talent to add to their track record of Poole College recruits. “We’ve historically hired several interns from NC State, some of which went on to receive full-time offers,” said Amanda Hamm, a purchasing analyst at Altria. “We try to look for folks with a technical supply chain background, but also very relationship-oriented people. We know NC State has a great supply chain program with great prospects, and it really has paid dividends for us.”

The next supply chain recruiting event is Thursday, February 13th 2020 at the McKimmon Conference and Training Center from 5:30 – 8 p.m. To learn more, companies can contact Brian Newton, Director of Undergraduate Programs for the Poole College of Management Career Center, at brian_newton@ncsu.edu.