Well-groomed young men walked around the Bryan Center in three-piece Kenneth Cole suits as immaculate young ladies posed in demure Jimmy Choo pumps.
Was Duke was playing host to tryouts for “The Apprentice IV” Wednesday in the Bryan Center? No—it was holding its largest Career Fair ever.
More than 87 organizations as diverse as Goldman Sachs, Abercrombie and Fitch and Microsoft participated in the on-campus recruiting effort. Ambitious students dutifully marched from station to station to press the flesh and make a good impression.
Perennial favorites like investment banking firms Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers drew the most attention while less lucrative prospects, such as nonprofit Visions in Action, attracted a much smaller audience.
Students distributed perfectly polished résumés in well-rehearsed exchanges and representatives reiterated well-prepared speeches. “I think this is a fantastic opportunity,” said Nick Snyder, a senior who came with several résumés in hand.
For sophomore Moriah Daugherty, however, the experience was a little overwhelming. “I was kind of confused because it was a lot of information,” she said. “I wasn’t sure what the companies were looking for—interns or full-time employees. But I think it is really great to find out what’s out there.”
Many recruiters cited Duke’s strong academic reputation as a major incentive for attending the Career Fair. “This is a rare chance to get some of the best people in the same room,” said Jon McLaughlin, assistant director of MBA admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management.
One Eli Lilly representative, however, was not as enthusiastic. “To be quite honest, I am somewhat disappointed with students’ lack of knowledge about the company,” said the pharmaceutical company representative, who declined to give his name. “With websites and everything, you would think that they could do a little bit of research on the company.”
But one can always count on a fellow Blue Devil to assuage a struggling Apprentice’s ego. “I am continually impressed with Duke students,” said Goldman Sachs representative Sam Garonzik, Trinity ’03. “I think that the mentality that these kids should be experts in the investment banking business is not fair. We’re simply looking for smart kids who are interested in the business and looking to learn.”
Many employers, such as UBS Investment Bank, are conducting on-campus interviews during the next few weeks. The only way for students to be selected for an interview is to submit their résumés online through Blue-Devil Track, accessible through the Career Center website or the DukePass web portal.
The annual Career Fair, sponsored by the Career Center, marks the official start of the recruiting season. “A lot of deadlines happen very quickly in the fall. We can get everyone’s attention with something big like the Career Fair and employers can gather a lot of résumés,” said Megan Wilson, program and marketing coordinator for the Career Center. “I think it was a great success and I think everyone had a great experience.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.