80 companies, 800 students
By Erin Costantini
News Writer
Career options for Notre Dame students are always expanding, and Thursday's ninth annual Summer Internship Job Fair exemplified the trend.
With an unprecedented 80 nationwide companies, the fair attracted more than 800 students to the Joyce Center fieldhouse. Undergraduate job-seekers searched for employers willing to let them preview careers.
"There is a diverse array of opportunities available," said Leo Svete, director of Career and Placement. "If we can get students thinking of careers now, we can get them thinking of what they want to do, and make them more competitive as seniors."
Sophomore Jed Dooley went to the fair hoping to score a summer job. He was a little nervous but pleased be to involved.
"The fair is helpful to know what's out there," Dooley said. "It's nice to have so many great companies in one place."
Arthur Anderson, Ernst & Young and General Electric (GE) were among companies taking advantage of the career fair as a convenient and inexpensive way to meet Notre Dame students.
"All employers are happy to be here at Notre Dame," said Robin Sullivan of the Career Center. "Our students are well thought of throughout the business world. They reflect high quality, high motivation and high success."
Pete Rubinas, a representative from PricewaterhouseCoopers, said he looks for a student with "a good academic record, communication skills and capable of an intelligent discussion."
Arthur Anderson representative Lynn Buhl looks for "inquisitiveness, a positive attitude, and an interest in the company." Students who have researched his company and can ask intelligent questions about it also have an advantage, he said.
New features of the Summer Internship Job Fair include the student résumé drop box and the "GO IRISH" Web site. The drop box allowed students to submit résumés to 50 companies not in attendance. This serves to broaden the jobs available, with internships in film, museums and non-profit organizations.
The Web site offers information on participating companies in addition to facilitating on-campus interviews.
Some students complained that the job fair does not offer a wide enough array of internships, lacking opportunities in fields of science and medicine.
"It's pretty much all businesses here," said sophomore Katie Koch. "There aren't many jobs for pre-med students."
Although the most internships were related to business, other companies such as GE and Camp Sweeney were present. GE appeals to engineers and Camp Sweeney, a camp for children with diabetes, offers internships popular with pre-med students.
"There may not be something for everybody, but this is a great opportunity for the career search experience," Svete said.
All News Stories for Friday, January 28, 2000
