The recession is making an impression on this year's Spring Career Showcase.
Fewer companies and students attended the Spring Career Showcase Tuesday at the O’Connell Center than last year.
The first day of the showcase, which gives students the chance to interview for jobs and internships, usually attracts about 2,300 to 3,000 students, said Ja’Net Glover, the Career Resource Center assistant director for career events.
About 2,000 students showed up Tuesday, Glover said.
Glover said about 200 companies are expected to attend the two-day showcase, which is about 20 percent fewer than the usual turnout.
However, Glover said companies are still hiring.
Students interviewed for internships and full-time jobs with accounting, communications, health care, human services and retail companies, according to the showcase Web site.
Interviews for computer science, engineering and construction jobs will take place today, according to the site.
Gwendolyn Smith, a senior marketing major, was interviewed Tuesday.
She said she wished the showcase had more opportunities for marketing students.
“There’s a lot for finance and statistics, but there isn’t a lot outside basic retailing,” Smith said.
But representatives from companies who came to the showcase were optimistic.
Jaclyn Rosen, a recruiter for Naylor, a media corporation, said students should still apply.
“We’ve had people come up to us in the past with the mindset that we aren’t hiring, but that isn’t true,” Rosen said.
She also offered advice for students interested in interviewing.
“We mainly look for people with a lot of enthusiasm, so come up to us smiling,” she said.
Troy Hammond, finance manager at Lockheed Martin, a global security corporation, said the company looks for students with good GPAs.
“We want someone who is a representative fit for our company,” Hammond said.
Students who attend the showcase today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. should bring their Gator 1 ID cards and several copies of their resumes.
