By Jill Shockey and Rebekka Coakley, Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK – Last year, Penn State’s Fall Career Days, hosted by Penn State’s Career Services, welcomed recruiters from 500 companies around the nation. This year’s 2012 Fall Career Days recruitment numbers have exceeded that total by 9 percent.
“Since last November, all activity has steadily increased between 6 to 9 percent, from each of the Career Days to on-campus interviewing,” Jeff Garis, director of Career Services, said. “We’ve been really vigilant with recruitment numbers, and everything is showing an increase.”
The 2012 Fall Career Days begin Tuesday, Sept. 11, and end Thursday, Sept. 13. As of Aug. 23, Career Services noted registration of 515 organizations, which is a 9 percent increase compared with the same time last year. So far, on Tuesday, 201 non-technical full-time career organizations will be represented. On Wednesday, 220 internship/co-op organizations are expected, and on Thursday, Sept. 13, Career Services anticipates representation from 325 technical, full-time organizations.
“We meet with employers face-to-face regularly and they are consistently acknowledging Penn State’s academic integrity and the quality of the graduates that come from here,” Garis said. “This hasn’t changed throughout the last few months and it’s only driving our recruitment. Penn State students are very marketable to employers.”
