Image

On Tuesday, March 21st, our Student Chapter held a Professional Development Workshop at AECOM’s office, which was truly a successful collaboration between professionals in our industry and engineering and planning students!

The event was kicked off with a welcome from our Student Chapter Co-Chairs, Cory Wyffels, Structural Engineer at WSP, and Blaire Miran, Structural Engineer at AECOM. The Student Chapter President continued with student board introductions and the run of show for the evening. The main presentation of the event was led by Shakeyia Kersey, dedicated Career Services Professional and Leadership Trainer, and Director of the Career Center at Moore College of Art and Design. Shakeyia shared important interview tips from what to expect during an interview, how to prepare, and post interview communication guidance. The importance of preparing by researching a company and asking questions was emphasized throughout the presentation. 

After the initial presentation, the students were assigned to three different rotating stations. One station was a presentation on the importance of different forms of professional communication, including cover letters and emails. This presentation covered ways to share who you are in an authentic way and tips on professional correspondence from the interview to working on a team at a firm. The second station was a one-on-one mock interview conducted by a professional in our industry. The professionals and students were paired based on their jobs and the students’ professional interests and studies. At the end of each interview, there was time for feedback to be provided to the student, to assist in future internship and job interviews. The third station was a group resume review session. Professionals shared their knowledge and suggestions on resume wording, outlining experience, and formatting.

Our students reported they gained meaningful skills from the experience that they plan to use in their upcoming interviews and job application process. In addition, multiple professionals were impressed by the students and have plans to pass along resumes to applicable positions at their respective companies.

The WTS Philadelphia Student Chapter would like to thank our sponsors and professional volunteers from AECOM, CDM Smith, Gannett Fleming, Kittelson & Associates, STV, and WSP. This event served as a space for students to learn and practice necessary and important skills to prepare them for entering into the workforce, and we are very grateful to be able to provide this support to them along the way!

Check out photos!