Fewer employers attend Job Fair

Approximately 64 companies attended this fall's Job and Internship Fair, down from 102 last year. The drop reflects the slowing economy, according organizers and participants.

"This year, because of economic factors, we've seen a decrease" in representatives at the fair," said Interim Director of the Career Center Adrienne Alberts. The Johns Hopkins Career Center sponsored the fall Job and Internship Fair, which was held in the Glass Pavilion on Oct. 3 and 4.

Many employers are no longer hiring, or are cutting back on traveling and recruiting budgets, according to Alberts.

Several company spokespersons said that they are not actually hiring although they attended the fair.

"I talked to a few peole that were compiling resumes-just keeping a presence on campus," said Elizabeth Demarest, a consultant for 4-Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, an IT consulting firm. 4-Cap is not curently hiring, according to Demarest.

Some firms not present at the fair are planning to visit Homewood later in the year in order to maintain a presence.

"Some firms [.] are still doing resume critiques and mock interviews - they still have a presence on campus," Alberts said.

For some companies, the recent national surge against terrorism has boosted hiring capacity and demand, especially concerning Hopkins students.

ITT Industries, one of the companies represented at the fair, is the leading producer of the night vision goggles used during Operation Desert Storm, according to representatives. ITT Industries produces a radio used by most of the U.S. Army as well.

"Those night vision goggles have given our military a big advantage. Night Vision will be receiving increased orders for goggles [.] and Aerospace/Communications [that makes the radios] will also experience an increase in orders," said Connie Pope, senior human resources representative for ITT Industries in Washington, D.C. "We are looking for people with degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science."

U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Mike Wingfield, officer accessions and health professions recruiter, believes the slowing economy will increase the number of students seeking federal jobs.

"It's often been said that a slowing economy drives more people to seek jobs within the federal government. We have a very good benefits package: people start with 30 days of vacation a year with pay [and] we pay 100 percent medical and dental. It's pretty good job security, too."

Although this fair had a smaller turnout, more big-name companies are present than in years past, said Kathy Lee and Natasha Klenke, representatives for GE Power Systems. Both received Bachelors Degrees in 1997 and Masters Degrees in 1998 from Hopkins.

In the past, there were less national big-name companies and more smaller, local consulting companies, according to Klenke. There was a diverse range of presenters, she noted.

Some students expressed disappointment with this year's fair.

Senior computer science major Suk Hyung Lee said he was upset many companies were leaving before the fair ended at 4 p.m.

The companies "don't need [to fill] the jobs, so they're just leaving early," Lee said.

Students would have liked to see more companies offering internships, said Sarah Cho, a junior international studies major who works in the Career Center.

According to company representatives, Hopkins students are quality workers.

"We are looking for the quality of student that comes from Hopkins. We know that Hopkins has a demanding curriculum and we want someone who has met that kind of criteria," Pope said.

"There's a couple of key things that Hopkins students have: critical thinking, strong analytical skills, the fundamentals of research," Alberts said. "Hopkins students are leaders and employers are looking for leaders."

The Career Center sponsors the Job and Internship Fair twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring. The fall fair generally focuses on attracting engineering students. The spring fair will occur next February and cater to a wider range of students.

-Staff writer Liz Steinberg contributed to this report.