‘ ‘ ‘ A sea of dark-suited students, alumni and representatives from businesses browsed the… ‘ ‘ ‘ A sea of dark-suited students, alumni and representatives from businesses browsed the Petersen Events Center yesterday at the largest job fair in Pitt’s history. ‘ ‘ ‘ Shawn Ahearn, director of communications for student affairs, said that the event was the first of its kind to be held in the Petersen Events Center. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It’s a way to help Pitt students find jobs,’ said Ahearn. ‘Employers recognize that the University of Pittsburgh has a high caliber of students. They are interested in Pitt students, and they have positions available.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The fair, which was open to all Pitt students and alumni, brought in 230 businesses, which is about 100 more than last year’s fair. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘This [job fair] is the most important of the year,’ said Ahearn. ‘ ‘ ‘ He added that most corporations do the bulk of their hiring in the fall. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt students, such as Imran Dalwai, who is in his final year of the MBA program, went to the event with hopes of making business contacts. Though he still has time before he completes his degree, Dalwai sought time with recruiters and information on the present state of the job scene. ‘ ‘ ‘ Mazen Kholi, a senior management and marketing major, said that since he does not graduate until the end of April, his interests lie more in gaining experience with job fairs and talking to corporations than actually securing a job. ‘ ‘ ‘ Christine McBrien, human resources manager for Siemens Water Technologies Corp., said that the University appealed to her company because of its reputation. This was the first time she was present at the event. ‘ ‘ ‘ McBrien said that she sought applicants with good communication skills, the right majors, enthusiasm and a high GPA. ‘ ‘ ‘ Ahearn said that it was especially important for underclassmen to attend the event so that they could make connections and network. ‘ ‘ ‘ Kathy Humphrey, vice provost and dean of students, was also intent on making the job fair an event for all students, not just seniors and alumni. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Employers expect students and want students to learn the purpose of their companies,’ said Humphrey, adding that this was a way for underclassmen to expose themselves to these situations. ‘ ‘ ‘ The event even had freshmen-specific hours from 3 to 5:30 p.m. in an attempt to expose these students to the realities of the job fair situation. ‘ ‘ ‘ Danielle Filer, a freshman molecular biology major, went to the fair during the freshmen-specific hours. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I want to know what a job fair looks like,’ she said, adding that she was also in search of an internship. ‘ ‘ ‘ Dan Carthew, a senior history major who plans to go into business or finance, was looking for a career. He claimed that this job fair was much more organized than those in the past. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It’s a lot bigger and a lot better,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ There will be a second University-wide job fair in the spring.