CDC hopes to bring new career opportunities to campus

In response to complaints from students in the School of Arts and Sciences that accounting and financial services employers have dominated campus job-recruiting visits, Career Development Center representatives pointed to industry recruiting cycles and the economy.

Of the 34 employers scheduled to interview on campus during the fall, 28 pertain to accounting and financial services and 18 are open to accounting and finance majors only. Two-thirds of the employers at the 2009 Career and Internship Fair, held Sept. 25 in the Robins Center, were business-oriented, according to a list on the CDC Web site.

Joe Testani, associate director of the CDC, said the imbalance was because finance and accounting companies adhered to a more predictable recruiting cycle, in which September and October were prime months. These industries also tend to be better able to afford to send employers to campus, he said.

The on-campus interview schedule did reflect a shift away from accounting and financial services toward the end of October, with six employers from other industries clustered from Oct. 21 to Nov. 6. A Health Careers Expo on Oct. 27 also added to the diversity.

In November, the recruiting cycle shifts to government jobs, Testani said. Richmond Road Trips - CDC trips to bring students off-campus to visit employers - also begin, with the first trip, on Nov. 20, to a sports marketing agency based in Richmond.

Non-profit, media and arts management career opportunities usually rise in January and February, Testani said. Two Spider Road Trips during the first week of January will visit media and communications companies in New York City and non-profit and government groups in Washington D.C. The CDC covers hotel costs, and financial aid is available to pay for travel.

Testani said the CDC's goals were to diversify the on-campus career opportunities, focus on the industries students reported interest in and better connect students to alumni. Students can express interest in certain industries by signing up for e-mails from specific industries and by filling out an online survey that will be distributed this month. SpiderConnect - an online database - also connects students and alumni to employers and CDC programs and events.

Paula Belmonte, the CDC's employer relations coordinator, said she had already noticed a trend toward more diverse companies wanting to come to campus to hold interviews, information tables and information sessions. The biggest challenge in her job - to bring employers to campus - has been companies' inability to afford recruiting trips. But employers have been getting creative by visiting multiple schools within a region during one trip and conducting interviews via video conferencing and Skype, a free internet-calling program.

Contact staff writer Maura Bogue at maura.bogue@richmond.edu