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Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering
Civil and Construction Engineering
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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

STUDENT INTERNSHIP BEST PRACTICES
An internship is a great way for an employer to test out a future employee. It is low risk, comparatively low cost, and short term. By the end of a single summer internship, most employers have a strong case for future fit and full-time offer. For the greatest impact, we encourage a consistent, long-term approach to recruiting from BYU and a strong student-hire pipeline mixing internships with full-time hires will yield the highest rewards.

Engaging students in significant learning experiences while working as an intern will yield benefits to the student and to the employer with higher motivation, better problem solving, improved teamwork, etc. Pairing the data collected from students upon completion of internships with employer feedback, we recommend the following as best practices for employers seeking successful internship programs:

1. Be ready for their arrival. No parties are needed, but a set of introductions and guidelines about where they should be and who they are working alongside will go a long way. Structuring the internship demonstrates intention and excitement that the intern is working with your company.

2. Allow exposure to various responsibilities. Students may not have clarity on their long-term future so facilitating a variety of experiences during an internship will increase their engagement and teach them so much. Consider a time devoted to onsite labor, specialty contracting, estimating, scheduling, finance, human resources, etc.

3. Set clear expectations. Many employees have not yet learned all the proper etiquette and professionalism expected at the office or project site. Setting clear expectations for punctuality, communication, phone-use, etc. will lead to improved employer and employee satisfaction.

4. Empower creative thinking. Perhaps you have a special project that you have been hoping someone could devote some research and planning energy into. An intern who is away from home likely has more time on their hands than a normal employee. Give them good guidance and see what they can develop for you.

5. Challenge the intern to help your company. A great way to engage the intern and receive valuable feedback is to plan an exit presentation before they conclude their time with you. Set a time for them to report back on items of interest to you. What did they learn? Was the company culture exciting? Any recommendations?

6. Assign a mentor. A common best practice, for good reason, is to provide a mentor for each intern. They will have questions. Giving them an outlet for those questions beside their direct report can eliminate stress and provide a wonderful opportunity for the mentor.

7. Give feedback. You perform a great disservice when you are disappointed with an intern, but they have no idea. Some students report to faculty that they enjoyed a terrific internship but are surprised to not receive a full-time offer. Don’t be afraid to give real and critical feedback as needed. Sometimes having a structured approach to internship goals and feedback opportunities eases the stress for the giver and receiver.

8. Consider incentives for your team. Your willingness to hire an intern is a great blessing to the student. It may not be seen that way by some other employees, especially those who must take the intern under their wing. Simple low-cost incentive strategies can help the overall experience for the entire team.