Sandia LabNews

Careerapalooza sparks career growth


Image of Careerapalooza_AD

Sandia is hosting its second annual Careerapalooza extravaganza June 27-29. Careerapalooza is a three-day exposition featuring a variety of in-person and virtual workshops, resources and talks designed to help Sandians grow their career and network at the Labs while boosting their skills. From new to seasoned Sandians, Careerapalooza has something for everyone.

“I was able to represent my division at last year’s Careerapalooza event,” said Mark Dodd, intellectual property senior counsel. “Part of my role involves writing patent applications for advanced semiconductor and radar concepts. However, before I became an attorney, I was an engineer.

“What I do requires a technical background, so I really enjoyed sharing with our technical employees what I do now to show them an alternative career path,” he said. “Many of the people I spoke to were surprised to learn how they might apply their technical skills and knowledge to support a completely different area within the Labs.”

Each day is designed to expand on the prior day’s events. Day 1 features a blend of in-person talks that will also be livestreamed that introduce Sandians to the tools and resources available through the Career Development Office. Day 1 also includes two panel discussions with Sandians from across the Labs sharing their career journey stories. Day 2 includes a mix of in-person and virtual events that teach employees how to apply the tools covered on the first day to spur career growth.

Day 3 culminates with a Careerapalooza extravaganza in both New Mexico and California. In New Mexico, in-person and virtual events will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. MT in the Steve Schiff Auditorium. In California, there will be an in-person event from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT at the General Access Area Event Pad.

See a preview of in-person events here and a full schedule on the Careerapalooza website. Topics are subject to change. Watch for additional announcements in Sandia Daily News.

Careerapalooza first launched in June 2022 as part of a Labs’ strategic milestone known as Sandia Spark, which aimed to foster an environment where employees feel as energized, valued and engaged as they did on day one. Sandia Spark is now an enduring effort as part of the Labs’ People and Culture Strategy, which aims to maximize the success of Sandia’s people and organizational performance through an intentional focus on Sandia’s workforce capabilities, workforce effectiveness, organizational culture and employee health and well-being. Learn more about Spark and the People and Culture Strategy on the People Initiatives website.

CAREERAPALOOZA 2023

Sandia has planned Careerapalooza events on June 27-29 that include career talks, panel discussions, résumé writing workshops, speed mentoring and mock interviews. On Friday, June 29, the Labs will host three in-person Careerapalooza events in New Mexico and California. Visit careerapalooza.sandia.gov for the full three-day agenda.

Expo and Extravaganza

Thursday, June 29, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. MT

This event will feature representatives from every division as well as booths for staff to meet representatives from Sandia’s Employee Resource Groups, IDEA team, Workplace Improvement Councils, SERP, Career Development Office, Employee Health Services and more.

Intern Career Fair

Thursday, June 29, 10 a.m.-Noon MT

The fair, organized for interns, will take place in the lobby of Steve Schiff Auditorium.

Careerapalooza California

Thursday, June 29, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. PT

Head to the General Access Area Event Pad for an in-person Careerapalooza event at Sandia California. The event will feature a food truck, games, snacks and a variety of tables with representatives from Integrated Security Solutions, Human Resources and Sandia’s Employee Resource Groups. Contact Tahmina Azimi with questions.

Recent articles by Kerri Dufault