Career Forum to Provide Look Into Job Market

Seniors across campus have been checking and re-checking their resumes for weeks in preparation for today's Career Forum which will be held from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The forum, sponsored by the Office of Career Services (OCS), will take place at the Gordon Indoor Track and Tennis Center.

More than 100 companies will have representatives at the forum. Company recruiters will provide information for students about careers and summer internships in 19 different fields, including accounting, consulting, public service, and investment banking.

Several study abroad programs will also be represented, providing information about educational opportunities in foreign countries.

OCS counselors say that the forum is intended to be primarily informational but acknowledge that networking is an important part of the job hunt.

"The purpose [of the career forum] is educational, but a number of students...use it to position themselves to get an interview," said Marc Cosentino, the business counselor at OCS.

While OCS advertised the event as a great opportunity to learn about various career options, many students complain that smaller fields are under-represented at the forum.

Dana M. Curtis, a government and media counselor at OCS, said that this problem is unavoidable because companies that have minimal hiring needs do not want to spare a representative for an entire day.

Student Preparation

Some students have aggressively prepared for today's forum, while others are taking a more casual approach.

Stephen G. Phillips '96 said he will be distributing resumes and looking for interviews at the forum. He has been planning for the event for weeks.

Other students, however, have less ambitious plans for the forum.

Kathreen P. Lee '97 said she made the decision to attend yesterday. "[I want] to see large public service groups...and find out more about the application process," she said.

Thomas Wei '97 advised younger students to attend the forum before they begin job hunting their senior year.

"Too many people dig career paths before they really think about it," Wei said. "[The forum] is a very compact and efficient way to both meet and compare a bunch of different companies at once."

Counselors from OCS will be present at the forum throughout the day to answer student questions and review resumes.

"If nothing [at the forum] interests them, we can show them that many other opportunities are available," said Curtis.

Last year, more than 1,800 students attended the forum, according to Cosentino. This year, OCS expects between 1,700 and 1,900 students to attend the sixteenth annual forum.

OCS will have shuttles running from OCS, Johnston Gate, and Currier House to the forum, beginning at 9:45 a.m. and continuing throughout the afternoon.