CAP Partners, Alumni Empower Students to Stand Out Professionally

Standing out to employers is a top priority for students, which is sometimes easier said than done. 

In CS 1100, students are hearing from several alumni and Corporate Affiliate Program (CAP) partners this semester to get first-hand knowledge about working in the industry. Speakers include representatives from NCR Voyix, Travelers, and BlackRock.

“Although CAP partners have visited classes in the past, the added value this semester is explicitly linking the speakers’ input to the seminar’s learning outcomes for the students,” School of Computing Instruction Faculty Member Kris Nagel said. 

Tony Burdett, the Global University Relations Leader at NCR Voyix and Industrial Engineering alum, visited as part of this initiative. 

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NCR Voyix is a major employer of Georgia Tech students and graduates, with 60 hired for full-time and internship positions in 2023. As a Georgia Tech graduate, Burdett is a valuable resource for students navigating the complex world of professional networking and career development. 

“NCR Voyix enjoys the opportunity to give back to universities by advising students on how to best prepare themselves for positive interactions with companies,” Burdett said. “The questions we receive the most from students are how to engage with companies and what they can do to stand out to a company at all times.”

Making an Appealing Resume

Burdett says the first step of that process for a student is preparing a resume that catches a company’s attention and highlights their experience.

Depicting talents and placing information are essential considerations when crafting a resume. As students from a top university in one of the top computer science programs in the country, Burdett advises students to put that information on a resume first, following their name and contact information.

Burdett also encourages students to seek experiences like hackathons. Projects like this (and even high school coding) show recruiters your talent and discipline.   

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Aligning with the Curriculum

These sessions in CS 1100 align with specific learning outcomes in the curriculum. Nagel emphasizes the importance of hearing from industry leaders.

“While we can teach students how to craft a resume and develop a presence in the appropriate social media platforms, the input from a corporate recruiter provides very specific information on how to do this with impact,” Nagel said. “The students had dozens of detailed questions about their unique positions as first-year students or transfers.”

The curriculum prioritizes developing a personal and professional network that includes students, faculty, alumni, and industry professionals. Another course initiative is to make students aware of the diverse opportunities available within computing.

Applying the Knowledge

Nagel says students are already implementing what they’ve learned from the sessions.

One student said they were updating their resume with their high school and college extra-curricular program experiences, and their relevant hobbies of game development and hack-a-thon coding. 

Other students are updating their LinkedIn presence as another way for recruiters to see their talents.  

Upcoming visits for CS 1100 students will include Computing alumni Marvin Crumbs, a software/data engineer in Travelers' Engineering Development Program and Justin Higgins with BlackRock. The alums will share their insights to further students’ career development.