The DSE job and career fair brought companies together with engineering students and alumni from DTU.
Monday 11 April 2022
Nasrin Billie
Graduate engineers are generally quick to land their first job, but the way into a company often goes through a student job, an internship, or a project collaboration. This fact was highlighted several times during the opening speeches at this year’s DSE fair held on 6-7 April on DTU’s Lyngby Campus. The chair of the DSE (English: Students’ Business Relations) Cecilie Oved Bendtsen, said:
“Over half of all jobs are filled through networking. The DSE fair gives you an obvious opportunity to build your network, but you don’t have to stop here. You can also network with your fellow students, the people you meet in Kælderbar, or former members of the student association you’re active in. Use every opportunity to make new connections, because who knows if the person you meet today can lead you to your dream job tomorrow,” said the chair from the podium at DTU Library to the job-seeking engineering students and graduates.
Cecilie Oved Bendtsen also encouraged those in attendance to use the fair effectively by using the many offers to get their CVs checked, have photos taken for their CVs, and listen to company presentations.
Blue carpet rolled out
More than 130 local, national, and international companies, organizations, and startups mingled in 5,000 square meters with up to two-metres-tall, illuminated exhibition stands in the sports hall, the Oticon hall, and the library. A large tent had even been set up in the parking lot for the occasion.
A blue carpet had been rolled out everywhere you went; this was just one of the many tasks that the 40 volunteer students in DSE took on at the fair.
Wearing a polo with the DSE logo, DTU student Emilie Lund Schrøder volunteered for the second time. As one of 30 business hosts, it was her job to serve a selection of the participating companies with coffee, water, WiFi, etc.
“It’s fun and exciting to help out with the fair. I’ve met some amazing people and I’m looking forward to ending the day with a lovely dinner tonight,” said Emilie, who will be graduating from her master’s programme in Industrial Engineering and Management this summer. She had wanted to host certain companies, including Maersk, in order to get direct contact and network with the company’s inner circle.
Human qualities in high demand
In addition to the positive effects of networking, the job seekers’ personal qualities were also highlighted as some of the things that can pave the way to getting a good job. This was highlighted by Nibraz Aziz, a political consultant from the Confederation of Danish Industry, in her opening speech on the first day of the fair.
“Employers aren’t just interested in your technical and educational background. They actually value human qualities more, such as how innovative and creative you are. And how good you are at working with people from different cultural backgrounds,” said the consultant from Denmark’s largest employers’ and business organization.
Marianne Thellersen, Senior Vice President for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at DTU, also advised the students not to be afraid to challenge the employers upon interaction:
“Find out if there is a match between your interests and the opportunities the company can offer. How is the work culture? How do they contribute to making a difference in the world? The best match is made when you and the company share the same values,” said Marianne Thellersen addressing the crowd.
Showcasing green values
True to tradition, companies showed up in large numbers, eager to speak to and recruit skilled labor. The job-seeking engineering students and alumni responded to the companies' gesture by flocking to the fair on its opening day, wearing colorful stickers that displayed their area of expertise. The mathematicians wore blue, the chemists green, the civil engineers yellow, while mechanics and management had been assigned the color red. That way, companies could more easily spot the profiles they were looking for.
In the buzzing sports hall, the consulting engineering company COWI had their trade fair stand, from which the students could bid on as many as 22 vacant student jobs.
"I have just hired two of our engineering students, and one of them is at the fair today to help recruit new student assistants," said Heidi Wiese, head of Offshore Wind Operations, who manages 20 engineers in her department.
She added that COWI attracts talented engineering students by showcasing the company's green values:
"We have decided not to work with oil and gas projects, but only with green and sustainable technologies to support the green transition," said the head manager, before resuming dialogue with the many prospects who revolved around COWI's stand.
Opportunity awaits
The students had turned up in large numbers on the fair’s first day and used the fair in different ways. Some were looking for their dream job, while others sought inspiration for their future careers.
27-year-old Catalina Cocan completed her master’s degree in March 2022 as a graduate in Quantitative Biology and Disease Modeling from DTU. She has come to the fair to gain knowledge about her career opportunities and clarity about what she can offer the companies.
"I need a job!", the newly graduate exclaimed at first, before she went flipping through a booklet full of useful information about all the participating companies present at the fair.
"I want to talk to all of them. I will start by asking the consulting companies what they are looking for and what they think about the competencies that I have acquired in my study," added Catalina Cocan after further consideration.
24-year-old Martin Steenberg had a more direct approach to the fair. Equipped with DSE's handbook Pejling, which the newly graduated engineer had studied in detail and indexed with countless red and orange patches, he bluntly said that he was there to get his dream job.
"I might be a little naive to believe that, but I will try my hardest. The fair is a great opportunity to get closer to the companies. It is completely different than looking at a website. It is way more direct and personal - and I get the opportunity to make myself noticed, said Martin Steenberg, who has just completed a master's degree in Process and Innovation at DTU.
Martin Steenberg had prepared thoroughly for his meeting with potential employers, especially the Danish Technological Institute, where he pitched his professional and personal competencies to business representatives. That led to a new Linkedin connection and a standing offer on a coffee meeting with a potential employer, bringing him one step closer to his dream job.
About DSE
De Studerendes Erhvervskontakt (DSE) or in English Student’s Business Relation is an independent, non-politically and financially independent student association represented at the Technical University of Denmark and Aalborg University, which means that it reaches engineering students from all over Denmark.
The year of 2022 is the 29th time that the physical fair has run at DTU.
DSE consists of 40 volunteer students, but during this year's fair, the association has had to draw upon the help of former DSE volunteers. Thus, up to 80 volunteers helped run the fair this year.
