Connect with hiring startups at tonight’s expo

10/07/15 – BOSTON, MA. – Scenes during the On Fire to Hire event held in the Curry Student Center at Northeastern University on Oct. 7, 2015. Staff Photo: Emma Putnam/for Northeastern University

Northeastern on Tuesday will host its latest On Fire to Hire Startup Expo, where students and alumni can network with area startups hiring full-time employees, interns, and co-ops for the Spring 2017 cycle.

Here’s more information about when to arrive, who will be at the event, and some advice from an employer who hired a student they met at the most recent expo.

When and where to arrive:
The event will be held in the Curry Student Center Ballroom and Indoor Quad. The entry time for undergraduates and alumni is anytime between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.; for graduate students, it is between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. All students are required to bring their NU IDs, while alumni will need a photo ID. Attendees are advised to visit the expo website and review the listing of participating startups ahead of time.

Earlier this year, we featured the story of a student who landed a co-op position from having attended one of the previous expos.

Who will be there:
Past startup expos have drawn between 500 and 750 attendees. Representatives from about 50 area startups will be in attendance to speak with students and alumni about employment opportunities at their companies and answer questions about working in a startup culture.

Among the startups in attendance are 88 Acres and New Grounds Food, which were founded by a Northeastern graduate and two current students, respectively. 88 Acres sells snacks geared toward people with food allergies, while New Grounds Food offers an all-natural energy bar infused with a full cup of coffee.

Employer’s perspective:
HPR, a Massachusetts-based financial technology company that provides a software and hardware platform for trading and risk management, hired a full-time software engineer based off a connection made at the previous startup expo in February.

Rachel Wilkes, director of corporate operations and a 2009 Northeastern graduate, said the company is looking for computer engineers and computer scientists for full time, co-op, and internship positions. From having attended the previous expo, Wilkes advised that attendees arrive prepared to articulate their experience and what they’re looking for in a potential job while showing they’ve done their homework on the startups they’re speaking with.

The event is sponsored by the Northeastern University Center for Entrepreneurship in partnership with the College of Computer and Information Science, Cooperative Education and Career Development, the D’Amore-McKim School of Business, and the Michael J. and Ann Sherman Center for Engineering Entrepreneurship Education.