NJIT Resources

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NJIT is a solid school that most people (including its own students) underestimate. Navigating it well requires knowing where to look. This is my attempt at a guide.

Career Fair

NJIT's career fair can be very useful provided you go in with a strategy. The mistake most people make is wandering around and stopping at whatever booth looks interesting. Instead, pick 6 or 7 companies you actually want to work at before you even get there. Research each one: company values, what they look for in interns, what they've built recently, what makes them different. Your goal for every conversation is NOT JUST to impress them on the spot, but to also walk away with a recruiter's email. Apply to any open positions right after the fair if you haven't already, and cold email the recruiter so they actually have your name in their head. I got 5 final-round interviews my sophomore fall doing this, when I had 0 internships on my resume.

On-Campus Events

On-campus company events are the bread/butter into getting your first/next internships, as they are one of the highest-leverage things you can do if you approach them right. Don't be the person who sits through the presentation and leaves right after because of class, or food, or anything else. In fact, I used to fade classes to go to these events.

Do the following:

Before:

• Dress for the occasion
• Bring your resume
• Come early
• Talk to speakers before event starts (if possible)

After:

• Do your elevator pitch/sell your resume
• Ask about recruiting timelines
• Always leave with their contact info (Email is best,
• LinkedIn works too)

Second, certain companies post NJIT-specific roles exclusively on Handshake. Prudential's SWE Co-op, last I remember, was one of them.

Career Development Services

CDS runs on-campus interview days for companies like Johnson and Johnson, Merck, and Verizon, with final rounds happening right on campus. A lot of the candidates are chosen through the career fair, which makes that more important than ever. An in-person interview is the best way to get employers to see/feel the "real you", and also because that means that they have a strong connection with the school and are therefore more likely to hire you.

There are also companies that have strong connections with NJIT that don't have on-campus interviews; this doesn't mean you should ignore them however. Some include Bank of America, Barclays, Prudential Financial, Fiserv, TD/TD Securities, etc. These companies at times will hold on-campus events but have their interviews virtually.

One of the biggest partners is Prudential, and as their office is right here in Newark, they tend to hold events for NJIT students at their building. In my freshman year, it was my dream internship, so me and my friend jumped on the chance to visit when they had an event at their Plaza building in April 2023, and were able to get a jump-start on the application timeline/stand out from the general populace. When the application opened up in July, I immediately applied, and the following fall (September), I actually attended another on-campus event for PGIM, Prudential's investment arm, and by networking with the recruiter there, he was able to get me a final round interview by forwarding my application to his colleagues (and I secured the offer for the following summer). The bigger point from this is that persistence is key; I don't think I would've gotten the internship if it wasn't for me doubling down at the PGIM event, as the Prudential event was so long ago. By continuously hunting for the role, I put myself in a position to be face-to-face with people that could hire me, and that chance was all I needed.

Regardless, CDS lowers the screening bar significantly by working with companies that trust/want to hire NJIT students, which is a huge advantage in this market.

Research

HSRI is run through the Honors College, eight weeks, and requires you to already have a faculty mentor lined up. I did this back in 2023 (find me in the "2023 HSRI participants" list) my freshman summer, as I didn't have an internship lined up. In every one of my interviews the following fall, I was asked about the experience primarily as it was ML-focused, so its somewhat high signal.

The way in is cold emailing professors whose research interests you and asking if they have room for an undergrad, all while selling yourself best you can. If you could stop by their office instead of emailing, that would be even better. Grace Wang hosts a YWCC Student Research Meeting every semester that is full of professors looking for students as well, and I know friends of mine have gotten opportunities from it. If you're in honors, keep an eye on the weekly newsletter because professors occasionally post there looking for students to sponsor for HSRI specifically.

URI is open to all undergrads, ten weeks, and comes with a $5,000 stipend.

Teaching Assistant

If you did well in a class, reaching out to the professor about open TA positions is worth doing, especially if you actually have a relationship with them. I know of friends whose professors liked them and when the course was over, they were offered a TA position before the official application was even released.

In my case, I got a CS 113 TA position without ever taking the class at NJIT (since I came in with AP CSA credit). I did this by emailing the professor handling hiring over Thanksgiving break, made the case for myself, and stayed on their radar by following up over the next few weeks. I ended up getting the job for that upcoming Spring semester.

Association for Computing Machinery

I focus on the ACM chapter here specifically for the free tutoring program through a partnership with the Ying Wu College of Computing (YWCC). These were pretty helpful for learning when you first start college, as the student teaching is often just a year or two older and can connect to you more as a result. Furthermore, if they've taken the class with your professor, asking them for how the midterms/finals are structured can go far. As you get further along in your coursework, apply to be a tutor yourself. Some positions are full time (5 hours/week) but the part time ones are just 1 hour/week, which is what I did. It served me well in being able to communicate technical concepts clearly and was a nice bit to talk about during interviews.