With June rapidly approaching and the economy struggling to bounce back, many graduating seniors are facing the difficult task of finding a job.
Today’s annual Spring Career Fair reflects the current economic state. The number of recruiters expected to attend this spring’s fair has decreased by almost 25 percent from last year. Despite the decrease, organizers encourage students to attend the fair and explore the employment and internship opportunities available.
Mei Yong, marketing and communication specialist for the Career Center, said because Oregon’s economy has not rebounded and the state’s unemployment rate remains one of the highest in the country, there is a low number of recruiters attending the spring career fair.
“Numbers are still low,” Yong said. “There are several big companies that usually send recruiters to the fair but many of those companies are not coming. For example, Meier & Frank and The Bon Marché, companies that usually come, will not be here.”
Beth Pfeifer, internship coordinator for the School of Journalism and Communication, said that the number of companies scheduling interviews with students has also decreased.
“With the way the market is now, students need to be more flexible,” she said.
The Winter 2002 Career Fair saw a drastic decrease in the number of recruiters. Approximately 116 companies attended the winter 2001 fair while 65 attended the 2002 fair. Although expectations were high for this year’s spring career fair, it appears to be a similar scene — 77 companies will be present today compared to the 117 that attended the Spring 2001 career fair.
Career Center Director Larry Smith said the number of companies is lower, but he encourages students to attend the fair, and there are still job opportunities for University students.
“Jobs were extremely plentiful two years ago, and that’s not the case now,” Smith said. “But I encourage students who are looking for an opportunity and want to gain experience to attend the fair and take advantage of the opportunities that are available. The good news is there are 77 employers hiring college students.”
Among the 77 slated to attend today, approximately 44 are corporations, including 24 Hour Fitness, Infinity Broadcasting-Portland, Progressive Insurance and Sherwin Williams.
In addition, 15 government agencies, 11 nonprofit organizations and six graduate schools are attending today’s fair.
Yong said there are also some new opportunities for students to explore. For example, Pacific Northwest Advertising Executives Association is hiring an advertising representative and advertising graphic artist.
A new feature, adding to the regular format of the spring fair, is the Science Graduate School Fair in Willamette Hall.
Representatives from 25 graduate science schools including Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and the University of Puget Sound will be available to talk with students considering science graduate school.