Job fair draws hundreds

Dozens of companies ranging from Caterpillar to Charles Schwab to the Central Intelligence Agency flocked to Alumni Hall Tuesday as part of the annual Information Technology Career Fair. \nSponsored by the Arts and Sciences Placement Office, this year's fair was the largest ever, with 61 companies.\n"We didn't even advertise the fair -- they (the companies) call us," said Susi Miller, the senior assistant director of the Arts and Sciences Placement Office. "If we had advertised the fair to companies, we would have had more than we could handle."\nRegardless of going unpublicized, Alumni Hall was filled with the companies' booths and hundreds of students looking for positions in information technology. Students who preregistered for the fair had a chance to submit their resume into a large resume book that was given to each attending company. As students attended the fair, they could set up interview times with the companies.\n"A lot of times it is difficult to get interviews through the Business Placement Office," said Kyle Richter, a senior majoring in computer information systems. "It's better to come up and sell yourself in person."\nAs the information technology field expands, jobs are becoming available in companies not commonly associated with technology. Although Dell, IBM and Hewlett-Packard were all present, computer manufacturers were a minority of the 61 participating companies. The majority were in fields like government, consulting, management systems and manufacturing.\nCaterpillar, Inc., a worldwide leader in construction equipment, has 140 information technology openings in Peoria, Ill. The openings include jobs in corporate-level information technology application, stock brokering, programming, telecommunications and person-to-person conferencing, company representative Mike Brinkman said. \nParticularly attractive to potential employers is IU's strong academic reputation, particularly the strong business and computer science programs, said Braun Consulting representative Rachel Freeman. \n"We look here at IU because of the discipline and geographic diversity of the students," Freeman said. "The students here are well-rounded in their education and are well-versed in technology." \nAnother group that came to IU for the same reason was the CIA, which hired four students into full-time positions last year.\n"We are looking for people to work in software development and design," said Michael Coles, head of Midwest recruiting for the CIA. "We look for the best and the brightest students, and many of them come from IU's outstanding computer science program." \nAlthough the focus of the fair was information technology, students not enrolled in classes in the field were encouraged to attend the fair and seek opportunities, Miller said.\n"I'm interested in trying to find a way to use skills from sociology and apply them to information technology," said Brooke Howell, a senior majoring in sociology.\nInterviews begin today for students pursuing positions with the companies. Students who submitted resumes but did not attend still have a chance to receive interviews if the companies take interest and notify them.\nThe Arts and Sciences Placement Office's next fair is the Social Service and Non-Profit Job Fair, Nov. 1 at Alumni Hall. \nFor more information on career opportunities and job fairs, visit www.indiana.edu/~career.