RIT - NTID - NTID News - Job Fair Promotes Networking and Awareness

Job Fair Promotes Networking and Awareness

NTID News - October 14, 2008

RIT/NTID Student Danny Cruz (left) talks with Raytheon employee Donald Slate, a 2006 graduate of RIT/NTID during the NTID Job Fair. Hundreds of students met with more than 40 prospective employers. Photo by Mark Benjamin, NTID.

With neatly typed resumes in hand, hundreds of RIT/NTID students attended today's Job Fair, where representatives from more than 40 companies and government agencies asked and answered questions about career opportunities.

"I'm networking," said Grace Kennedy, who completed one co-op and was searching for future employment options before she graduates from RIT/NTID.

"Hello, I'm Grace," Kennedy said, extending her hand to Ken Reiss, a staffing consultant for Merck & Co. The two talked about what each had to offer each other.

"Are you looking for opportunities as a lab technician?" Reiss said. "Are you OK with relocation, either in New Jersey or Pennsylvania? Shoot me an email with any questions you many have."

Bhushan Mehendale, a software developer for Microsoft Corp., graduated from RIT in 2006. He joined others from Microsoft who attended the Job Fair.

"We're here to interview the best and brightest," he said.

At least 40 students accepted jobs or co-ops from last year's Job Fair.

Communication was made easier with 50 sign language interpreters, available to assist if needed.

But many employers behind the tables set up in the Lyndon Baines Johnson Building were fluent in sign language themselves. Many were once RIT/NTID students.

Donald Slate, who received his master's from RIT/NTID in 2006, works as a manufacturing engineer for Raytheon Company in Massachusetts. He said the Job Fair enabled him to make the connection with Raytheon when he got his degree.

"I saw them for five years in a row here," Slate said. "It was a great networking opportunity."

Slate said he enjoys his job, and relatively few accommodations needed to be done to make everything accessible at work. He has a video phone installed on his computer and has interpreters if needed at major meetings.

"We're here at NTID because the programs we recruit for, they teach here," said Bob Foley, a human resource manager for Raytheon. "It's a natural fit for us. There's a good pool of candidates, well-trained individuals who are eager for opportunities in the private sector."

The fact that the students he met had a hearing loss made them more desirable candidates for co-ops or full-time jobs. "Deaf and hard-of-hearing people are underrepresented in business. There's no reason for that," Foley said. "I think there is a little trepidation by employers who haven't hired (a deaf or hard-of-hearing employee) before. But we've been able to learn about the best assistive technology because of NTID. What do we need to be more inclusive? A lot of the time, we're finding the answers here. This is more than a recruiting effort. We're sharing ideas and resources."

Earlier in the day, employers attended a workshop given by NTID's Center on Employment that offered tips on working with deaf and hard-of-hearing employees.

Individuals with a range of hearing loss talked about their family background, educational experiences and communication preferences.

"We talked about Deaf culture, speech reading and gave them a taste of what it's like to speech read," said NCE Director John Macko. "They found out it wasn't that easy."