Employer Engagement
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT
BYU supports the education of top new talent for construction and facilities management related professions. The BYU CFM program has a strong reputation for graduating women and men of character, leaders, innovators, and team players with a broad technical foundation in the fundamentals of the built environment. Students excel across a variety of professional roles in commercial and residential construction, industrial and municipal construction, horizontal construction and infrastructure, building operations management, building design, and real estate development, etc.
WHY ENGAGE WITH BYU CFM?
Companies that regularly engage with BYU’s CFM program get direct exposure to a pool of emerging talent, ready to bring fresh perspectives and the latest industry knowledge into the workplace. Companies can enhance their brand visibility and reputation within the academic community and the broader industry by demonstrating a commitment to education and workforce development.
The BYU CFM program encourages appropriate company engagement as students benefit immensely from interacting with industry professionals and gaining practical experience. This exposure allows them to apply classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios, enhancing their understanding and skills in construction and facilities management. Strong engagement offers insights into the latest trends, technologies, and challenges in the field, preparing students to be more effective and innovative professionals upon entering the workforce. This relationship enriches the student's educational journey and equips them with the tools and confidence needed to excel in their future careers.
OPPORTUNITIES
Many students are actively seeking internships, job shadow opportunities, part-time employment, and/or full-time employment. Companies interested in engaging with the BYU CFM program can connect through a few avenues.
· Volunteer to present a SEMINAR session (see below for additional detail).
· Host a SITE VISIT (job-walk, headquarters tour, etc.).
· Host an on-campus WORKSHOP (i.e. installation methods, new materials/products, panelists).
· Connect with a faculty member and be a GUEST SPEAKER in a class session.
· Engage students and faculty through a RESEARCH PROJECT.
· Attend and/or sponsor an EVENT or CLUB Activity.
· Register for a booth at the Civil and Construction Engineering CAREER FAIR (fall and/or winter).
· Host a company INFO SESSION on campus (see below for additional detail).
· Connect directly to students on HANDSHAKE (Post jobs, receive résumés, etc.).
· Connect with the program CAREER SERVICES director (Andrea Merriman).
· Join the INDUSTRY ADVISORY COUNCIL (IAC) (semi-annual meetings).
· Support students by GIVING financially to scholarships and/or experiential learning,
Companies looking to develop a relationship with the BYU CFM program for annual recruiting of new talent are particularly encouraged to engage in multiple activities over a sustained length of time and put concerted effort into teaching/mentoring summer interns. It has been observed that student internship experiences are most influential in setting a company’s image to prospective student recruits.
Contact a Faculty Member or Career Services with additional questions.
SEMINAR
These occur weekly on Thursdays 11-11:50 AM during Fall/Winter. These spots are very limited and are not aimed at being a recruiting pitch for individual companies. Topics are to be generally related to students and may cover things like: trends in the market, leadership, ethics, problem solving, contracts, professionalism, new construction technology or practices, etc. The design of the seminar is to expose students to different career paths and things happening in the construction and facilities industry. Faculty work together to approve speakers and topics that they feel should be covered. For example, we aren’t looking to fill 10 seminars in a semester from only commercial construction companies. We want to diversify what students are seeing and learning.
INFO SESSION
Once you have scheduled an info session with Career Services, reach out to Justin Weidman justinweidman@byu.edu and let him know so that he can get it advertised to the students. Info sessions can be held almost anytime, but during the summer most students are away on internships and not on campus. Usually, weeknights around 5:00 or 6:00 are good times to do info sessions. It is recommended to keep these to 1 hour. You might also want to coordinate with Justin Weidman to see when other info sessions may be scheduled. Many companies try to do info sessions the night before the career fair and then the attendance by students gets spread out among multiple companies. Food encourages student attendance as well