Career fair fills the Pete

A tough economy and high unemployment rates brought many Pitt alumni and current students to the… A tough economy and high unemployment rates brought many Pitt alumni and current students to the Petersen Events Center yesterday for the annual Career Fair, despite the rainy weather.

More than 200 tables, staffed by employers and graduate school representatives populated two floors in the center. Suit-and dress-clad undergraduates and alumni meandered in search of employment opportunities, while Vivaldi’s Four Seasons blasted over the loudspeakers.

Student Employment and Placement Assistance sponsored the event, which lasted from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The ranks of employers seemed somewhat diverse in the scope of their businesses. Students spoke with local and national employers from medical, technological, marketing and accounting firms, among others.

There was a strong demand for graduates in a few specific fields, like engineering. Guy Colombo, a representative from the Gerdau Ameristeel Corporation, said he was particularly interested in electrical engineers. He said his organization is also interested in mechanical, metallurgical and industrial engineers.

Some students said they were having problems finding jobs.

Jan Chaney, a recent library sciences graduate, said she hasn’t found a job since leaving Pitt.

Rami Bensasi, a recent communications graduate, said that he is having such a hard time finding a job that he is considering going to graduate school to obtain additional qualifications.

The career fair organizers designated a particular section as the “Graduate and Law School Corridor,” where representatives from those institutions set up shop. The corridor was less popular than the rest of the career fair.

Susan Bogart, the representative from Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law, said that tough economic times have had a negative effect on peoples’ overall interest in graduate school.

One employer that attracted significant interest was the military. Staff Sgt. Timothy Cush, a representative from the United States Marine Corps, said that he has seen a great deal of interest among recent college graduates — most likely because of the economic incentives that accompany a career in the armed forces.

Many businesses said that they wanted to recruit interns. Corporations like General Electric and Target sought interns exclusively, but those internships come with the possibility of promotion.

Ryan Fullerton, a Pitt alumnus at the fair, said he has been trying to get a new job for several months now, but it seems that everyone wants three to five years of experience. He only has one.