More than 100 students turned out for a Foxconn career fair on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus Monday. Foxconn says it's currently looking to hire a variety of people, including accountants, business analysts, sales and marketing professionals, and engineers.
A number of students shared with WUWM's Chuck Quirmbach reasons why Foxconn should hire them:
Civil engineering student Liam Brodie said his focus on water resources should be a good fit for the Foxconn plant. "Especially with the amount of water going into the process, it seems like a great opportunity as an environmental engineer to try and mitigate environmental impact, while still being able to meet consumer demands," he said.
Sidney Dillman, who is studying business and Chinese at UWM, said she thinks her skill set would help Foxconn on the international market. "Oh, I have to make those relationships. That's the most important thing. It's all about the guanxi - Chinese word for relationships," Dillman explained.
Meiling Her, a UWM student from China who is studying for her doctorate in electrical engineering, thinks Foxconn would like her skills and personality. "I am a very energetic person. I like to try things that are new, and I think I'm really good at analysis and I think they may like me," Her said.
However, Her and other international students would likely have to apply for federal permission to work in the U.S. for up to two years.
Foxconn executive Alan Yeung said there's no company quota for hiring university- or college-educated workers. But he said the firm plans to hire a few hundred people in the next two or three months for its demonstration plant in Mount Pleasant or for Foxconn offices around the state.
Yeung didn't say what the firm's Wisconsin employment is now, or what the salary ranges are for the jobs requiring a degree. "I think we'll be very, very competitive. And actually, it goes beyond the basic wage," he added, "the ability to work overseas in Japan, Taiwan, China, and other parts of the world. I think that would expand their horizon and help them grow."
Yeung said Foxconn plans eight more college career fairs in Wisconsin over the next three weeks, including stops at Marquette University (Sept. 26), Milwaukee School of Engineering (Sept. 27), and Waukesha County Technical College (October 11.)
Support is provided by Dr. Lawrence and Mrs. Hannah Goodman for Innovation reporting.
Do you have a question about innovation in Wisconsin that you'd like WUWM's Chuck Quirmbach to explore? Submit it below.
_
