Career Services and Career XPO

Career Services

The main functions of the Architecture Career Services Office include soliciting and publicizing job openings for students and graduates, facilitating on-campus interviews between prospective employers and our students, organizing the annual Career XPO, and providing resume and job search assistance counseling and programming.

Current students and prospective employers wishing to learn more about services and programs available for career services should contact Associate Director of Student Services La Tanya Cobb.

Employers from across the country representing the fields of Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning will come to the University of Illinois campus to showcase their firms, build relationships with the university, and interview potential candidates for both summer and full-time employment. Career XPO is hosted by the Illinois School of Architecture and organized through the Student Services Office.

For more information beyond these pages, please contact Office Manager Rhonda Frank.

Location

• Site TBD

Schedule

Thursday, February 13

• 8:00 am–9:00 am: Recruiter check in and set up. (Conference Center lobby) Continental breakfast is available for all registered recruiters at this time.
• 9:00 am: CAREER XPO 2024 opens (Illinois Ballroom)
• 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Lunch/Social for all recruiters, faculty and students in the Convention Center Lobby.
• 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Career XPO exhibit hall re-opens.
• 4:00 pm: CAREER XPO exhibit hall closes. Recruiters please take down displays, hand in surveys, and check out.

New Opportunity

Professional Interview Day: TBD

Interested employers will contact students from their submitted resumes and set up formal interviews.  Students should be prepared to explain their work and what direction they want their architecture career to take.  Students will also want to “interview” the firms to see what kind of work they are involved in, and where they might fit in.

Interviews will be scheduled in half-hour blocks between 9:00 am–12:00 pm and 1:00 pm–4:00 pm.

Schedule: Professional Interviews

Wednesday, February 12

• 8:00 am–9:00 am: Recruiter check in and set up. Continental breakfast is available for all registered recruiters at this time.
• 9:00 am–12:00 pm: Professional Interviews. Students arrive for their scheduled interview time.
• 12:00 pm: Lunch is available for all registered recruiters in the Humanities Room.
• 1:00 pm–4:00 pm: Professional interviews. Students arrive for their scheduled interview time.

Student Information

Grad students, seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen: Career XPO is for you!

Students are able to interview firms—to ask questions about architecture and the future they envision. For juniors, seniors, and graduate students this is a great opportunity to meet and interview the representatives— many of whom are the decision-makers for hiring. You will also want to sell yourself to them. For freshman and sophomores, this is an exceptional time to find out more about architecture from practitioners, laying the groundwork for future employment.

Students should be prepared with their resumes, portfolios, and a work sample.  Employers are coming to see YOU! Show them your A game!

International Students

All employers participating in the Career XPO will interview and hire students. Over the last few years, we have had a 100% hiring rate.  As a graduate student in the STEM-designated M.Arch program, you are eligible to work for any employer under the Optional Practical Training (OPT). Under OPT, you do not need a work visa sponsorship for 3 years. After this period, you will need to seek work visa sponsorship. Working under OPT will provide you with three years of experience in the United States and will promote you as a better candidate and employee with the potential to facilitate a visa sponsorship.

Volunteering

This is a great time to get involved by volunteering to work and meet the employers! Contact Rhonda Frank (217-333-7720) about how you can help.

Events leading up to the XPO

• TBD: XPO Kickoff!
• TBD: Resume Workshop
• TBD: Resume Review

Employer Information

The Illinois School of Architecture has become a place that welcomes many students from around the world, making our student body one of the most diverse groups of graduates every year. Our Graduate Student body often hits above 70% of international students who come to the Illinois School of Architecture to pursue a Professional Master of Architecture Degree. They come with a solid background in professional practice, design, and project management, to name a few.

All of our Graduate Programs are STEM-designated. This allows international graduates the ability to work in the United States for up to 3 years under the Optional Practical Training (OPT) without the need for work visa sponsorship. As an employee, you can hire our graduates with no visa needs right away. After three years of full-time work, our graduates will require a visa to continue to work in the United States. This visa requires employer support.

We understand that not every firm is able to support student visa sponsorship immediately. Nonetheless, every firm will be able to hire one of our students upon graduation.  We hope your firm will consider this.

We recommend that you carefully read the registration information located in the downloadable PDF at the bottom of this page. 

Important Dates

(Please note: We can take registrations until the day of the event, but cannot guarantee space to those who wait that long.)

January 14

• Last day to reserve room at the block room rate at the I Hotel and Eastland Suites.
• Last day to cancel registration with refund.

January 24

• Last day to submit information for our Employer Guide, given to students at the XPO.

February 10-12

• Any Shipments must arrive at the I Hotel and Conference Center during this period. NO EARLIER AND NO LATER (see Shipping Guidelines below)

February 12

• Professional Interviews

February 13

• Career XPO 2025

Exhibit Space Information

• Your firm will have a 6’ x 3’ table available for your display. We will make every attempt to honor your pin-up and electrical requests.
• If you plan to bring a display larger than this space, please let us know.
• Pin-up is limited so you may want to consider bringing alternatives such as tri-pods.
• On Friday the exhibit hall will open at 9:00 am and close at 4:00 pm.
• You should NOT leave valuables unattended at your booth or in the building.

Equipment Provided

• Each company receives one 6’x3’ table and two chairs per table, plus an electrical outlet at each table.
• Wireless Internet is provided at the I Hotel and Conference Center.
• On Professional Interview Day participating firms will be assigned an individual interview space which will have a table and chairs. Students will come at their scheduled interview times.

Cancellations

Please be aware that the latest possible date to notify us of a cancellation and receive a full refund is January 14, 2024. If we are notified after this date, payment will not be refunded.

Hotel Information

Eastland Suites, 1907 N Cunningham Ave Urbana, IL 61802; (800)253-8331

Simply call the Front Desk before 01/14/25 to book their individual reservations with group code 3746. Eastland Suites operates a shuttle into Champaign from 7:30 am to 10:00 pm.

A proliferation of activities in Urbana-Champaign is producing a high demand for hotel rooms.  You are encouraged to book your room(s) early.

Travel Information

FLYING

Local airport is Willard Airport (CMI). It is approximately a 10-15 minute drive to the Hilton Garden Inn, or your hotel. Shuttle service is available from your hotel. Please phone the hotel directly ahead of time to reserve your seat.

DRIVING

If driving to Champaign-Urbana, find directions at: https://parking.illinois.edu/maps/directions-campus. A map and legend of the Illinois campus may be found at that site.

PARKING

Parking is available at the Hilton Garden Inn. The Illinois School of Architecture and the Career XPO are not responsible for tickets or towed vehicles.

Shipping Guidelines

In the event you choose to ship your display materials, please use the following address.  We ask that you please arrange for shipping to arrive no earlier than Monday, February 10, 2025. Please clearly mark in bold red type all items with your company name, the dates(s) you will be attending, and ‘CAREER XPO 2025.’ All items should be addressed as follows:

Illinois School of Architecture Career XPO 2025, <Your Firm Name>, <Date(s) you are attending>, Hilton Garden Inn

(For multiple shipped pieces, number them appropriates, i.e. ‘FIRM NAME, 1 OF 3; 2 OF 3, and so on)

All inquiries regarding shipments should be made through your carrier service.  The I Hotel cannot verify shipments. For return shipments, please pack all items securely and label clearly with the carrier’s shipping bill.  Be sure to include your company’s account number and attach your prepaid return shipping form.

Conference Fees

• Career XPO 2025 – Thursday, February 13 – $325
• Professional Interviews – Wednesday, February 12
  • Full day of interviews – $350
  • Half day of interviews – $175
• Special Rates:
  • Career XPO + full day of interviews – $600
  • Career XPO + half day of interviews – $450