Career Fest 2000 introduces Wake Forest students to employers

Following a recruiting trend that gets earlier each year, more than 70 employers from across the country will be on the Wake Forest campus on Wednesday in hopes of finding future employees. Career Fest 2000 will take place Sept. 13 from noon to 4 p.m. in Benson University Center, Room 401.

According to Bill Currin, director of Wake Forest’s Career Services office, nearly 75 percent of the university’s recruitment efforts take place in the fall, parallel to demands from employers.

“Our students have to get ready much earlier than in the past,” he said. “There’s just such a demand for good talent, the employers are coming much earlier and recruiting more aggressively.”

Bank of America, which has recruited directly from Wake Forest since the mid-1980s, is one of many companies that aggressively seeks the university’s graduates. They have moved 99 percent of their recruitment to the fall and list Wake Forest among their top ten schools in the country to find prospective employees.

“We want to find the best students first,” said Sara Griffith, university relations specialist with Bank of America. “We always get great students from Wake Forest, so we have to recruit earlier to beat the other companies.”

Employers at Career Fest 2000 will use creative displays, giveaways, even employees who are Wake Forest alumni to generate interest in their company. Many businesses have already blocked time with the Career Services office for student interviews during the next three months.

A sophisticated online system developed by Career Services allows students to survey a list of companies interested in Wake Forest students and submit their resumes to the companies of their choice. Last year’s database held 1,745 employers offering more than 2,000 employment opportunities.

Companies that will be represented at Career Fest 2000 include DuPont, Arthur Andersen, Wachovia Corporation, Eli Lilly & Co., Food Lion and BB&T. For a complete listing, contact the News Service office.