More than 1,000 interviews are being held at Mississippi State University's Colvard Union Ballroom as students seek on-the-job experience while they learn.
Students such as Jason Hartsell and Jonathan Powless, both of Hamilton, Ala., wore their best clothes and put their best foot forward as they visited Wednesday [Oct. 16] with potential employers. They and the others are enrolled in the university's cooperative education program, on of the largest of its kind in the nation.
"Co-oping is a great way to get work experience," said Hartsell, a chemical engineering junior.
This semester's interviews began Tuesday [the 15th] and conclude Thursday. More than 170 employer representatives are participating.
The Cooperative education program allows students to alternate semesters of school work with employment in their chosen field. Started on campus in 1955, the Mississippi State program enrolls more than 800 students in every academic discipline.
Interview days, which began in 1982, have spilled over from the ballroom into other rooms in the building. "This is the largest group we've had," said director Luther B. Epting.
"We're seeing more small employers participate in the co-op program to recruit and train employees," he said. "Today's employers are looking for academic credentials, communication skills and experience. The co-op program helps provide job experience."
The twice-yearly interview days have grown to the current 1,200 interviews. Students sign up in advance and are assigned specific 30-minute blocks with a company representative. Over three days, they may have a maximum of seven interviews.
"It's a way to allow multiple interviews over a short period of time," Epting said. "Employers are able to interact with students and students have an opportunity to talk with a potential employer face-to-face about their future."
About 70 percent of the students who interview will get job offers, he added.
Companies from Mississippi and around the country participate. Each company representative receives a packet of information about students they'll interview, including current class schedule, a transcript of classes, grades, and a resume.
Scott-based Delta and Pine Land Co., a major producer of cotton planting seed and soybeans, is seeking four cooperative education students in a variety of positions, ranging from seed technology to information systems.
"We've been presented with some very good candidates," said project manager Charles Cox.
DP&L education training manager Monty Kay Crosby said the company has a strong commitment to education and is trying the cooperative education program for the first time. "We believe a student's experience in school will be strengthened by the work experience," she said.
Among a host of other companies interviewing this week are Kerr McGee Chemical, Litton Systems, Mississippi Department of Transportation, Newsprint South, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi Golf Association, and Mississippi Chemical Corp.