3:15 p.m., April 17, 2007--Turnout was in the hundreds at UD's 2007 Spring Career Fair held Monday at the Bob Carpenter Center, and the stormy weather did little to dampen spirits--and résumés--of students and recent alumni vying for the attention of the 160 employers represented.

Held for the first time at the Bob Carpenter Center rather than the Trabant University Center, the new venue offered more space for employers to set up kiosks and conduct informal interviews with candidates, and the ample bleachers gave nervous job-seekers an out-of-the-way haven to collect their thoughts and take notes before plunging back into the fray.

“This is the last of our larger fairs, and is open to all majors, and even though flooding and high winds aren't great recruiting tools, turnout has been decent,” Jack Townsend, director of the Bank of America Career Services Center at UD, said.

“For the past two years, when we held the fair at the Trabant University Center, we had a waiting list and could only accommodate 90 employers. This year, 160 are represented, so we're very pleased,” Townsend said. “For students that have put off job-search efforts, the fair offers a good opportunity to get their résumés out, and to network; and for shyer students and those early in their academic careers, the fair gives them an opportunity to talk with recruiters and get better at it.”

This was the case for Antonia Donato, a freshman communication major from New York City who was volunteering for the Career Services Center as a greeter.

“I think the fair is a really good way to get your foot in the door,” Donato said. “A lot of freshmen don't start looking for jobs until they are seniors. I really like the opportunity of getting to see all the companies that are hiring.”

Amanda Porcelli, a senior psychology major from Middletown who plans eventually to return to school to gain certification to counsel patients, said that the fair offered a good sampling of careers, even for job-seekers only seeking temporary positions.

Megan Kelley, a senior leadership major from Bear, said that she is casting a fairly wide net.

“I'm looking at a lot of companies, because my major can be applied in a number of different ways,” Kelley said. “My dream job would be something in marketing or sales, but I'm keeping my options open and getting my résumé out to several recruiters.”

Graham Becker, a senior computer science major from Newark who had an interview with a local technology firm in Wilmington later in the afternoon and who also was job-hunting via e-recruiting, said that the fair offered good variety and a number of high-profile companies.

“Here, I was especially impressed with Hostmysite.com,” Becker said. “I think they've got a great site, they're a good company to work for, and they're local, which is a real plus, because if I got a job with them, I wouldn't have to move. I thought with a computer science degree I'd be able to write my own ticket--ultimately I'd like to develop games--but I'll probably start out in tech support or maybe product development.”

Moon Hussain, a senior computer science major from Sebastian, Fla., said that she saw the fair as a “great opportunity to get [her] name out,” and said she was especially interested in pursuing careers with Hostmysite.com or Vanguard, another company represented at the fair.

“I would like to stay local,” she said, “but I'm trying to stay open, and I just started with e-recruiting, as well. My dream job would be to some day work in game design, but in the meantime I'm looking at positions in networking, web development and computer programming.”

Article by Becca Hutchinson
Photos by Sarah Simon, AS '06