Hundreds of students dressed more formally than usual descended upon the Joyce Center for the annual Fall Career Expo on Tuesday.
This year, more than 165 companies from a wide array of industries were represented at the expo.
The event spans two days and includes a Full-Time Fair, intended for graduating seniors, and an Internship Fair, open to all students, which will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. today.
Hilary Flanagan, director of career services, said the event enables students to meet company representatives, many of whom are Notre Dame alumni.
"Career fairs are a great opportunity to actually meet face-to-face with the recruiters, many of whom bring young Notre Dame alumni back who are eager to share their experiences," Flanagan said.
Senior Bill Terry, a finance and consulting major, said this is his third career fair, having attended as both a sophomore and a junior. Of the three so far, Terry said this fair is the most serious because he is now looking for full-time employment.
"It's different now that I'm looking for a full-time job. ... It's more serious business," Terry said.
Senior Mia Counts, a history major, said the experience was enjoyable and good preparation for her post-graduate job search.
"It was very well organized. ... All of the recruiters I talked to were very warm and friendly. Whatever happens, it was very good practice for the future," Counts said.
Terry said he agreed that talking to so many companies interested in hiring Notre Dame graduates will help him find a job in the near future.
"A lot of employers were all in the same location looking to hire Notre Dame grads. It allows you to talk to professionals. ... It will help with networking and contacts in my job search," he said.
Flanagan said while the Fall Career Expo is one of the Career Center's most notable offerings, resources such as mock interviews and résumé reviews are available year-round. Workshops and events are also held frequently to provide venues for networking with employers and alumni in specific lines of work.
Senior Jasmine Young, a psychology major, said the Career Center helped her prepare her résumé for the Expo.
"To prepare, I went to a career fair prep course they held and updated my résumé," Young said.
Flanagan said beyond the Career Expo there are resources online to help students in their job searches.
"Up-to-date information can be found in GOIRISH. Organizations and companies that specifically want Notre Dame students will post information about job and internship openings throughout the year," she said. "Students are encouraged to go online to discover not only who is coming, but also for which kind of openings they are actually recruiting."
Flanagan said the Career Center will hold several other events this week in addition to the Expo.
The "Backstage Pass" program, specifically intended for first time attendees of the Internship Fair, will take place on Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the Joyce Center and will teach students how to effectively present themselves to employers, Flanagan said.
In addition, employers will be holding interviews at the Career Center throughout the week for both full-time and internship positions.
Flanagan said the Fall Career Expo is not the only one of the year, since company-hiring needs change and some organizations need to hire at different times of the year.
"The Fall Career Expo is heavy on industries who know their hiring prognosis for the year. Organizations have different hiring timelines, so we also hold a Winter Career and Internship Fair," she said.
