UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The College of Agricultural Sciences’ Ag Career Day is a great opportunity for students to interact and meet future employers. For recent graduate Anh Tran, attending last year’s event led to a full-time job with the largest single-location mushroom farm in the world — Giorgi Mushroom Company.
“My position is a case growing supervisor,” Tran said. “By showing my strong interest over time, I received the job offer in March and started my next chapter at Giorgi Mushroom Company.”
At Ag Career Day, students can meet with more than 250 representatives from more than 130 industry and government employers and higher education institutions from across the country.
Tran learned about the event from faculty and staff, who encouraged her to attend to gain more industry-related experience and broaden her professional network.
“Before the career fair, I did research on all of the companies that interested me. Giorgi Mushroom Company was one of them because it is a large, well established and vertically integrated company,” Tran said. “I was able to follow up and develop a long-lasting relationship with the representative from the company.”
As a case growing supervisor, Tran’s duties consist of maintaining the quality and safety of mushroom products, managing and developing production and operation plans, and communicating effectively with various departments within the company.
During her time at Penn State, Tran, a native of Vietnam, took the initiative to further explore the mushroom industry by connecting with professors from the Department of Food Science.
“They are well-known for their work and research on mushroom growing and processing,” Tran said. “I became more knowledgeable in many recent mushroom-related issues, which enabled me to do a better job at work.”
Tran offered a few tips to students who are interested in attending this year’s Ag Career Day.
“Prepare well for the career fair by doing intensive research on as many companies that are relevant to your major as possible,” she said. “There are plenty of opportunities out there and if you are ambitious and confident, you will be able to catch at least one or even many.”
Learn more about Ag Career Day, scheduled this year for 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 20 at the Bryce Jordan Center.