There are many things students can do to improve their resumes and find experience that will help them land their dream jobs. For engineering students, this is not any different.

James Bosserd graduated from Iowa State in 2007 with a master’s degree in agricultural engineering. Bosserd was able to secure a full-time job at John Deere in Waterloo, Iowa, the summer following the spring ISU career fair.

“As an instrumentation engineer, I work on tractors and testing their parts to make sure they work,” Bosserd said. 

Bosserd applied and interviewed at three different places before deciding on John Deere. His decision came primarily from getting to know Deere’s main recruiter through the John Deere project he did for his master’s degree.

“After getting to know the recruiter, I contacted him during the fall semester,” Bosserd said. “In the spring, I followed up at the career fair and was able to land the job.”

Beyond networking with future employers, Bosserd did a few other things while in college to help boost his resume.

For instance, while completing his undergrad at Michigan State University, Bosserd worked during the summers before his junior and senior year at Boese Engineering, a company that produces agricultural equipment.

While completing his master’s, Bosserd worked as a graduate assistant and was paid to work on projects for companies like John Deere.

“Through graduate assistant projects and internships, I had talking points to discuss with employers,” Bosserd said. “It really helps if you can convey what you’ve learned through your experiences and how you can apply it to the job you’re looking for.”