Although the economy is still in a recession, it won’t stop dozens of employers from coming to Binghamton University to recruit students for internships and full-time jobs.
On Wednesday, Sept. 16, the University will host its fall 2009 Job and Internship Fair in the Events Center, sponsored by BU’s Career Development Center.
At the event, which is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. and run until 3:30 p.m., students will have the chance to meet with recruiters from 73 registered employers, ranging from non-profit groups such as the American Cancer Society to Bloomberg L.P., a financial service company.
According to Bill McCarthy, associate director of the Career Development Center, more employers have signed up for tables at the fair this semester as compared to the spring event. There were representatives from 69 companies last semester.
One company, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network (NMFN), an insurance and services firm, has been hiring more people recently in comparison to previous years.
“This year to date, we have hired more people than all of 2008, and we still have four months to go,” said Randi Goldman, director of development for NMFN at Binghamton.
With fewer companies having positions to fill in this economy, the competition for some positions has increased.
“Students in general must up their game,” said Matthew Singer, a 1996 BU alumnus and firm relationship partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers.
According to Singer, despite the increased competition level, PWC’s hiring practices have not changed.
“The amount of people we are looking to hire is the same,” he said. “The Binghamton students continue to be a tremendous source to PricewaterhouseCoopers.”
The company is also allowing students to apply for jobs online on their interactive Web site.
According to Singer, the Web site is another place to post a resume if a student does not have the time to stop by their table at the fair, but it is always good to make a face-to-face impression with a recruiter.
To help BU students prepare for the fair, the CDC is offering a variety of workshops next week to give students the chance to ask for advice from employers before walking through the Events Center doors.
For a full list of employers, online job fair reference guides and workshop times, visit cdc.binghamton.edu.