Thanks to ’s dedicated support for STEM students, he had access to resources so he would not have to navigate that journey alone.

“Engineering is hands-down our most active liaison area,” says Taylor Sandifer ’23MA, assistant director of employer relations in Career Services who supports all STEM majors, including the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “CECS students show up to everything. They’re really engaged, and they take advantage of every opportunity.”

For Knights like Nguyen, that means access to employers through engineering-focused employer-led workshops, resume reviews, mock interviews, and the highly attended , which occurs annually in the fall at the Addition Financial Arena, where as many as 300 employers fill the venue.

Big Companies Recruit Knights

Before Expo, students can participate in the Career Readiness Program, a two-week series including industry-specific, employer-led sessions where recruiters host one-on-one resume reviews and mock interviews to help students prepare.

�鶹ӳ����ý’s employer-relations model attracts major companies such as Google, Meta, Amazon, Siemens Energy, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris and Walmart directly to campus for tabling, information sessions, and networking events.

“Employers coming in to recruit STEM talent will work with us to get connected,” Sandifer says. “We help them get into the engineering atrium, set up information sessions, reach students through Handshake, and collaborate with CECS to spread the word.

“We want students to see a clear path from �鶹ӳ����ý to a career.”— Taylor Sandifer ’23MA, assistant director of employer relations in Career Services

“We want students to see a clear path from �鶹ӳ����ý to a career. When they put in the effort, and we can help make those connections, it all comes together.”

Sandifer has seen firsthand how transformative this can be.

“One computer science student (Nguyen) showed up on the wrong day — in a suit — but stayed anyway,” she recalls. “He came back the next day, met with recruiters, and we connected him with Deloitte & Touche. He ended up getting the job. His hard work and willingness to show up made the difference.”

Real World Ready

Nguyen credits the Dixon Career Development Center in helping him shape his career path.

“I wasn’t very prepared initially and had no idea where to even start. It was overwhelming just thinking about it,” he says. “I attended an event I found off Handshake and it turned into me getting resume reviews, mock interviews, and attending events that got me to meet employers I was passionate about joining.”

He took advantage of summer appointments, interview strategies, and also printed business cards to hand out to the company representatives at the Internship and Career Expo. Those efforts paid off with an opportunity at Deloitte — a place he was drawn to for its culture and its constant flow of new challenges.

His biggest takeaway from his experience with the Career Center is to be persistent and open to every opportunity.

“You never know what conversation you have with someone that could turn into a huge career opportunity,” he says.

�ճ���� will take place on Tuesday, March 10.

The new Handshake service hosted by Career Services and Experiential Learning allows participants to apply for thousands of jobs, internships and other opportunities. Participants can use the system to store a resume, cover letter and other documents to use for each application.

Handshake also provides access to employer information and campus interviewing and recruiting events.

To sign up for the program, click .

Handshake is replacing KnightLink and Place Pro services. To help learn how to navigate the new system, workshops have been scheduled in Career Services and Experiential Learning Room 121. The workshops will be 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 21; 1 p.m. Thursday, June 22; and 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 27.

Employers who want to be included in the program also can check the link to register.

All �鶹ӳ����ý students and alumni can take advantage of this new system that is replacing KnightLink and Place Pro to serve the �鶹ӳ����ý community. Handshake is cutting-edge technology career development platform that helps students and alumni connect with employers and campus partners to find jobs and internships. Users will be able to log in to Handshake with their NID and password and begin searching.

Over 120,000 employers are already using Handshake, including 93 percent of the nation’s Fortune 500 companies. This opens up more opportunities for students and alumni to find more jobs and internships than ever before.

By the end of the next summer, Handshake is on track to be the sole career development platform used by all of Florida’s major universities and colleges, opening up �鶹ӳ����ý to more collaboration opportunities across the State of Florida.

New features and functionalities will continue to be introduced that include posting all SDES on-campus student positions in the system, operating the �鶹ӳ����ý Job Shadow Program through Handshake, and many more.

Tori Walsh, student assistant for Career Services, stated, ‘Handshake is going to be such a valuable tool for students to take advantage of. Having Internships and Jobs all in one system is super easy for career planning.”

For more information, students can visit or contact either Career Services or directly.