A record 3,000 Miami University students took part in September's Career Fair with the goal of securing a job or internship from one of the employers in attendance.
This year's event was the largest crowd in the event's 24-year history, as the expected turnout was about 2,500 students, according to Career Services' estimations.
Bill Froude, associate director of Career Services, said the numbers were high this year because students were arriving in a constant stream from 3 to 7 p.m.
"Right from the beginning, Millett was full," Froude said. "Students are aware that the economy is bad so they're taking advantage of opportunities. Employers were coming to the fair looking to hire, so students came out in full force."
Carol Fink, program associate and Career Fair coordinator, said in her more than 10 years of experience in organizing the event, this year stood out.
"I've never seen them lined up out the door to the parking lot," Fink said. "That's because of the job market, pure and simple."
Senior market major Emily Edeburn has attended Career Fair for the past three years and said she noticed a marked difference this year.
"I got there at 3:25 p.m. and there were surprisingly long lines already," Edeburn said. "Some of the more popular companies had long lines the entire time. I had to stand through one that was a good 40 to 45 minute wait."
Yet, Froude said the 171 employers that attended this year were down from 2008 and with good reason.
"Last year was a record number with 228 employers," Froude said. "But that was right before the bubble burst and the economy turned. It will likely be several years before we can pull that number up again."
Due to the large number of students looking for positions and the decreased number of employers this year, the competition in the job market will be greater.
"Job offers may be down a little bit," Fink said. "Employers might hang onto resumes but, by the end of the year, we hope it'll be okay. For now, we know job offers are down."
Junior Katie Mason, a business management major, said despite the large student turnout her first experience at Career Fair landed her one interview.
"Career Fair was a lot bigger than Spring ICE and a lot more people, so I didn't get to talk to the recruiters as much," Mason said. "It's really competitive especially since a lot of companies are downscaling, but you have to be really prepared, know what you want and use the face time."
Fink said the job market during this year's Career Fair may look bleak, but she said she is optimistic.
"The job market is still down from last year," Fink said. "We've seen ups and downs along the way. This is one of the worst, but the job market looks like it's getting better and Miami students are doing okay."
