More than 1,000 Northwestern students are expected to come to Norris University Center Thursday and today with the same goal in mind – to find a job.
As NU’s largest job fair of the year, the Career Expo 2001 features 70 companies reaching out to students interested in post-graduation jobs. Students were able to discuss possible full- and part-time positions with representatives from many different firms, from engineering companies to information technology services. The two-day expo will continue today from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Job fair coordinator Emily Murphy said the expo will be a success because of the high number of industries represented.
“Students have a number of choices,” said Murphy, special events coordinator for university career services. “They will be able to find where they fit in and the job that is right for them.”
Volunteers from Career Peers and Tau Beta Pi helping organize the expo said attendance was higher than expected at the event’s start.
“Only an hour has gone by and already so many students have shown up,” said volunteer Barry Wible, a McCormick senior who helped sign students in and gave them nametags. “I definitely feel the next two days will be highly attended.”
Weinberg senior Janice Tsai was at the fair searching for a job in information technology consulting. Her first stop was with representatives from American Management Systems.
“I’m looking forward to meeting more people from more companies,” she said. “I’m looking for a full-time job, and this is a good way to accomplish that.”
Although Tsai was pleased with the expo’s set-up, she said she was confused about the actual work that some of the companies there do.
“Last year, the packets listing all of the company names had descriptions of what the companies do,” she said. “I miss that this year.”
Speech senior Brian Weiss also was talking with companies about jobs after graduation. He said that it was hard to understand what the companies specialized in based on their names in the program.
“It’s definitely frustrating that the names of companies don’t show what they do,” he said. “Right now I’m here just extending my hand to anyplace that looks interesting.”
While students were busy looking for jobs, company representatives were trying to lure potential candidates to their tables.
Courtney Bartlett, who attended an NU job fair two years ago, was on the other side of the table this year. As a representative from Discover Card, she said she could relate to the sometimes-overwhelmed students.
“It’s scary because not many students are sure what they are looking for,” she said. “But coming to something like this is a great way for students to decide what they want after graduation.”
Bartlett said Discover and other companies are always anxious to recruit at NU.
“I have no doubt that there are many qualified candidates here perfect for our program,” she said. “It’s very exciting to talk to young people looking for opportunities.”
