Students and employers participated in a “”speed interviewing”” event and spoke with a CIA representative yesterday for the first time as part of the UA Fall Career Days.
More than 175 employers met students looking for internships and searching for a job after graduation at the career fair, which continues today in the Student Union Memorial Center Grand Ballroom from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
New this year was the “”speed interviewing,”” organized by the Management Information Systems Association. The event was similar to “”speed dating,”” and students got a chance to interview with employers for 10 minutes at a time.
“”We had a good turnout of recruiters and a good turnout of students,”” said Nayan Patel, a senior majoring in management information systems and accounting and one of the event’s organizers.
Patel said that the idea was modeled after a similar event at the University of Texas at Austin.
The student turnout was higher than expected. Nearly 80 people had found their way to the Redington Restaurant on the third floor of the SUMC last night, but only 53 had previously said they were attending, said Laura Reid, a business administration senior and one of the event’s organizers.
Nine companies and 16 recruiters also attended the “”speed interviewing”” event, Reid said.
Students were excited to participate in the fast-paced interviews with some big-name companies like IBM and Texas Instruments.
“”I think it is great networking experience,”” said Harry Xenophontos, a management information systems graduate student. “”It is great to have them all in one place.””
Shajan Kay, a management information systems graduate student, said he liked the speed format because it was less stressful than interviewing in the traditional style.
The recruiters shared the students’ sentiment for the new addition.
“”It’s pretty neat,”” said J.J. Marais, a recruiter from Price Waterhouse Coopers.
“”You are forced to get to the point very quickly.””
Of the nearly 100 people there, all of them were dressed in business casual or better, save for one.
Joe Fico, a computer engineering senior, said that “”there’s no point”” in dressing up for a speed interview.
“”I am coming here to talk to people,”” said Fico, who was wearing a T-shirt and pants. “”If their criteria is ‘are you wearing a suit?’ then I don’t want to work for them.””
Only one recruiter said anything about his attire, Fico said.
Doug Brown, a recruiter from IBM, said that what a candidate is wearing is not the most important thing.
“”I look for eye contact and how quickly they are ready to get started,”” Brown said.
However, he does see what candidates are wearing as a representation of how seriously they are taking the opportunity. If someone comes with just a T-shirt and jeans, it says something. If they have a valid reason for dressing like that, then he could easily forget it, Brown said.
Representatives from the CIA only came to participate in the career fair yesterday, but the number of students inquiring about prospective employment was outstanding, said Dale, the director of career analysis programs, who could not provide his last name for security reasons.
“”The CIA chose to come to the UA to recruit college graduates because of the vast amount of diverse students and the impressive academic credibility that is associated with the school,”” Dale said.
Students from all majors are encouraged to inquire about the CIA organization, which provides direction and coordination of the collection of national intelligence outside the U.S., Dale said.
“”If there are students who are looking to expand their analytical cores, then I think that the CIA should be a strong focus point in their employment search,”” he said.
Phillip Morris USA, the nation’s leading cigarette manufacturer, is participating in the Career Fair for the seventh year, offering internships and full-time positions, said Michael Wood, the Phillip Morris district manager of Arizona and campus leader for the UA.
“”We are not looking for any specific majors, but rather we want individuals who express leadership qualities, are motivated and energetic,”” Wood said.
Woods said the organization is interested in hiring junior interns in field sales but also wants people who are elected through their peers in various organizations, such as fraternities and sororities.
There are currently 50 UA alumni who work for Phillip Morris.
Kristen Korby, a biochemistry senior, said she is considering graduate school, but she came to the career fair to see what employers were offering for jobs and internships.
“”I’m interested in paid internships in the summer as well as jobs related to biomedical research, so I wanted to browse around, talk to different companies and look at all the possibilities,”” Korby said.
Anne McGettigan, a political science senior, said she was looking for an internship while she is in school and a job, preferably in international trading, for once she graduates.
“”I wanted to come and see which companies were at the fair and get some basic information, and come back tomorrow more prepared,”” McGettigan said.
Employers attending the career fair will expect students to be registered with Career Services in order to interview with them.
Details on how to register are available at the Career Services table outside the fair or can be accessed at their Web site,
