Over 800 students set the Gantcher Center abuzz with activity at the annual Tufts Career Fair on Friday.
This year's Career Fair put students in touch with recruiters from approximately 100 companies, including Honda, Microsoft and Intel.
The fair had a "wonderful turnout," according to Director of Career Services Jean Papalia. A number of career fields were represented, including "non-profits, government, private and education," she said.
"There are [companies] that come every year and get a great turnout of interest, and they always hire our students," said Robin Kahan, associate director of Employer Outreach and Engineering Career Services. She indicated that other companies such as Intel, Microsoft, the FBI and Analog Devices, however, took more convincing before they decided to attend the fair.
Papalia called the fair an excellent opportunity for all students, from freshmen to seniors, to find employers looking for anything from full-time employees to summer interns. "I was talking to an employer, and a first-year student came over and the employer was thrilled to tell her all about opportunities at that company," Papalia said.
The Career Fair is one of "a vast array of services" that Career Services offers, said Steve Maser, Career Services' assistant director of employer outreach. Upcoming Career Services events include a career orientation for seniors, a workshop on internship funding and a job-search boot camp for seniors, which Papalia called a "one-day crash course."
Papalia also highlighted that Career Services has a seminar to help students write their statement of purpose. "Students don't realize that we help with graduate school applications," she said.
Students should start early and rely on more than a single job-search method, according to Papalia "We encourage students to take advantage of all the services offered, including career counseling, appointments, the campus recruiting program, workshops and alumni presentations," she said.
