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After graduating from Purdue University in May, Nathan Taulman went on a weeklong fishing trip with his dad before starting a training program in June for his new job as a district manager for international retailer Aldi. Naming his start date was just one of the perks.
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Nathan Taulman is among the Purdue Agriculture graduates who landed the job of their choice. “This job was the most appealing because it was an opportunity to have the most responsibility right away,” says Taulman about his position as district manager with Aldi. (Photo by Tom Campbell) |
Taulman may have come back from his trip with some fish stories about “the one that got away,” but he didn't have to exaggerate about reeling in a big catch to start his career. After he completes training, Taulman will oversee Aldi stores in Northwest Indiana and a portion of Chicago .
In March, Taulman jumped into the applicant pool with more than 400 other Purdue students who were vying for a management position with the company. A food science major with an agribusiness management minor, Taulman made it through the first two cuts and was one of a select five invited back for a final interview. Throughout the interview process, he was checking Aldi out as much as the company was him.
"This job was the most appealing of all the ones I considered because it was an opportunity to come in just out of college and have the most responsibility right away,” Taulman says.
Strength in numbers
The selection process lasted only a couple of months, but preparation had been four years in the making. For Purdue Agriculture students, career development starts with freshman orientation. Administrators, faculty, advisors, alumni, employers and Indiana's agriculture community work together to provide a wide range of career-related activities to help prepare students for the workforce. The end result is an enviable placement rate: More than 90 percent of students are employed in their career field or continuing their education within four months after graduation.
"The placement rate indicates both the strength of the job market and employers' interest in our graduates,” says Allan Goecker, assistant dean and associate director of academic programs for Purdue Agriculture. “We see more employers extending job offers to seniors in the fall or even earlier,” Goecker says. “Students are doing internships sooner, and many are doing more than one internship. If the internship goes well, it often results in a job offer.”
Taulman used internships to zero in on the type of job he felt would be the best fit for him. “I wanted to have different experiences,” says Taulman, who did a management internship after his sophomore year and a second internship in research following his junior year.
Animal sciences major Jamie Boone, who landed a job as a chemical sales representative with Dow AgroSciences, also did two internships, one with a farm machinery company and the second with a chemical and fertilizer co-op. She participated in numerous career activities and sought advice from family, friends, coaches, high school teachers and professors. She fielded job offers from several companies but held out for the chance with Dow AgroSciences after meeting a company executive at a leadership seminar. “I interviewed with other companies that I was interested in, but those interviews definitely ended up being great practice for the Dow interview,” she says.
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