Engineering Career Services: Employers

Each year the College of Engineering holds two career fairs, one in early October and another in early February. Over 100 companies and 800-1400 students attend each fair.  With the competitive market for engineers, companies that attend our fairs have a marked advantage in recruiting our engineering students for co-ops, internships and full-time employment. It is vitally important to build your pipeline now and begin cultivating relationships with underclassmen as they begin exploring careers and companies.

Handshake is the University's on-line recruiting system designed to connect students with employers and opportunities. Employers can post internship, co-op, and full-time positions, register for fairs, set-up on-campus interview schedules, search student profiles, and MORE! Registration is free and easy to all employers. Click HERE to create your free account and/or log-in. Tips and the online training community can be found at: https://careers.uiowa.edu/handshake.

The University's on-line recruiting system, Handshake, makes it easy for employers to post positions with established criteria, receive resumes from qualified students, and select students for interviews.

On-campus interviewing runs from late September through early December in the fall and early February through mid-April in the spring.

Options for on-campus interviewing include:

• Schedules for full-time and/or co-op & internship positions
• Prescreened or open schedules
• Interview time slots of 30, 45 or 60 minutes

Employers can post openings and request an on-campus interview date through Handshake.

Interviews are held on the 3rd Floor of the Pomerantz Career Center. The Pomerantz Career Center offers an employer lounge and over 20 spacious interview suites equipped with a table, chairs and high speed internet access. Rooms vary in size and are designed to accommodate 4-6 people. 

Parking is available in nearby parking ramps or in a lot adjacent to the Pomerantz Career Center. Employers will be sent parking instructions prior to the scheduled interview date.

There are many ways to promote your organization and connect with Iowa engineering students aside from career fairs and interviews.  We find most companies tend to have the most success when they have a persistent presence on campus.  We'll work with your company to develop a targeted strategy around your recruiting needs. 

Industry Presentations (Lunch & Learns/Tech Talks/Info Sessions/Departmental Seminars)

Guest speakers from various fields are always welcome to present on campus as a way to educate students about the career paths available within your industry. Teach students what people love about working in your field and what students should do to become marketable candidates.  Bring in engineers to speak to students about tech-related topics and industry trends, informing them about the up-to-the-minute happenings of the tech world.

Meetings with Faculty and Career Services Staff

We invite employers to meet with faculty and staff to learn about the Iowa engineering curriculum and how best to promote your organization to specific majors. These meetings also educate us about your organization and opportunities so that we can better advise students. Faculty are always interested in developing relationships with industry partners to collaborate on student projects and research interests.

Collaboration with Student Organizations

Student organizations often request industry representatives to speak to their groups. With 30+ organizations in the College of Engineering, we have a variety of industry specific, diversity, and professional organizations. If you have an interest in a particular organization, you can contact them directly, or let us know and we can assist you in making the connection.

Corporate Sponsorship of Programs and Events

Each year organizations act as corporate sponsors for some of our programs and events. Your organization’s name will be included in event advertising, and you will have the option to have representatives present at the event. Our 30 page Career Resource Manual is another opportunity for you to promote your company to students.  Used extensively in one-on-one advising and class presentations, the manuals typically reach 70-80% of our students.

Employer Site Visits

Site visits allow companies to highlight and market your organization to Iowa engineering students. During the visit, employers/alumni typically describe their organization, discuss various career opportunities and their recruiting processes, offer tours and allow exchanges of information between students and company employees.

Mock Interviews/Resume Reviews

Both are a great opportunity for you to provide real job interview experience and feedback to our students while promoting your organization, increasing campus visibility, and cultivating potential future candidates. Employers can create mock interview requests through our Handshake system.

At the University of Iowa, we strive for student success. Our goal is for engineering graduates to leave the university equipped with the tools, resources, and connections to thrive in their professional careers. We’re proud to share that 93-98% of our graduates, on average, are employed, continuing their education, or not seeking within 7 months of graduation. Check out our comprehensive outcomes data.

Post-Graduation Dashboard - https://careers.uiowa.edu/post-graduation-data

The interactive dashboard created by the Pomerantz Career Center shows the breakdowns of what Iowa engineers do after graduation. The dashboard can be filtered by year, college, and major.