Rakshak Adhikari
Staff Writer
Troy students can take advantage of the Career Fairs hosted by Career Services where they can interact with employers for potential jobs and internships. One student who found success through the fair is Travis Maupin, a senior computer science major from Phenix City.
After attending the fair fall 2017, Maupin was offered a summer internship with CGI, an information technology consulting company in Troy.
According to Maupin, Career Services helped him write and proofread his resume, which he distributed to the employers at the Career Fair. In his resume, Maupin included his knowledge of coding languages, his GPA, his relevant extracurricular activities and leadership experiences.
Career Services recommended to have his resume printed on special resume paper.
“The resume paper is basically a better-quality paper and while it may not seem like much, I have had many potential employers complement me on my resume paper,” Maupin said.
Maupin was invited to a meet-and-greet organized for the prospective interns shortly after the fair, and he was later called for several interviews which assessed his functional and technical skills before being offered the internship.
“While I think my classes at Troy did a pretty good job of preparing me for the internship, there are many things we need to learn on our own,” Maupin said. “One of my professors used to routinely ask students to write codes in paper, and it turned out to be a valuable skill, because in one of my interviews, I was given a white board and asked to write codes.”
Maupin worked 40 hours a week in the internship which lasted from early June to early August. His work was in quality assurance testing and included both functional and technical aspects. He plans to apply for a job at CGI Troy once he graduates this May.
Derek Rowe, a CGI consultant who was at CGI’s table at the Career fair on Wednesday, Oct. 17, said the company looks for involved, interested students who are trying to not only excel academically, but also, pursue their interests outside of the classroom setting.
“What’s going to separate them from the other students who take the same courses?” Rowe asked. “It’s not just GPA. We want to know what else they offer.”
“We generally look for people who can work for part of a team, critical thinkers …” Rowe said.
Rowe said since they are located so close to the university, they frequently hire Troy alumni and offer internships to students.
Maupin says internships provide individuals with invaluable real-life experiences, training and help them develop skills which are usually inaccessible in a classroom. These experiences, according to him, not only help make the individuals more employable, but also, give them a better idea of what career field they want to pursue.
