4:40 p.m., April 21, 2008--The day was warm and sunny and the Bob Carpenter Center parking lots filled to overflowing as a record number of impressively groomed students and alumni turned out to make connections with recruiters from 185 organizations at UD's Spring Career Fair, Thursday, April 17.

More than 950 students and alumni and 185 employers participated, breaking last year's record of 700 students and 160 employers, Jill Gugino, program coordinator for UD's Bank of America Career Services Center, said.

“It was a very successful event. We received a lot of great feedback from employers, and several told us that the students they spoke to yesterday were incredibly well-prepared and very professionally dressed. They were highly impressed with UD students compared to other schools,” Gugino said.

There was something for everyone among the myriad kiosks set up in the Acierno Arena. Recruiters were offering everything from management and part-time positions at PetSmart to openings at Hess Corp., the Philadelphia Police Department, Allen Family Foods, the Internal Revenue Service, Disc Makers, Kohl's Department Stores, Geo-Eye, a satellite and aerial imagery company, Public Allies and the Peace Corps.

Sponsored by UD's Bank of America Career Services Center, the career fair gave students and employers the opportunity to look each other over. Most students were hoping to land internships, full- or part-time jobs or just make a good impression for future reference.

Preety Ramakrisnen, a graduate student in UD's MBA program, said she is interested in a summer internship in the finance industry that could lead to a full-time job after she gets her degree in January. “I've been making personal contacts today, taking business cards and e-mail addresses so that I can keep in touch with the recruiters I've met. This is really a great opportunity, especially for international students who haven't had a chance to network,” she said.

Trena Williams and Larry Merchant, recruiters for Allen Family Foods, had a stack of resumes on the table. Merchant, who visits six college and university job fairs a year, said UD's is one of the best. “UD's job fair is well-organized, students are prepared, well-groomed and good communicators.”

The Hess Corp. had four recruiters at the fair. Doug Walton, director of human resources for Hess, said his recruiters go to about eight job fairs a year looking for engineers, marketing managers and finance majors. He said UD's fair is well-coordinated and has a higher volume of students than most. “The quality of the people we see here is high, and they have good communication skills.," Walton said.

Michael Mayhart, a junior operations management major, interviewed with Hess. He said he had been to 15 booths and left six resumes, and that he's hoping to get a job in operations management for an engineering department. “It's great to be able to have face-to-face contact with potential employers. It opens a lot of opportunities,” Mayhart said.

The number and variety of employers at the fair also impressed Gordon Lippincott, an English major who will graduate in May. “This is my first career fair. It gives me a glimpse into what will be available after college.”

Megan Whelan, who will get her degree in May in biological sciences, said she is looking for a full-time job in the pharmaceutical or environmental services fields and that the fair gave her a better idea of what research companies want. “When you get to talk to them, you find out exactly what they need. It's a good experience.”

For more information about workshops on interview preparation, job search strategies, salary negotiations and other career-related subjects, call (302) 831-2391.

Article by Barbara Garrison
Photos by Duane Perry