On Campus Recruiting in Full Swing at GWSB

GW Alumni Association

As spring break approaches, many GW students are inundated with papers, projects and cramming for midterms. Though this time is stressful for the entire student body, many School of Business students have the added pressure of trying to secure a coveted summer internship or full time job. Luckily, they are not alone on the job hunt. As the only undergraduate school at GW with its own career center, the School of Business takes special focus in getting students jobs through on campus recruiting.

This process, which brings employers directly to campus in order to interview students, helps open the door for job-seeking students in a persistently tough economic climate. The on campus-recruiting program has brought consistent numbers of employers to campus over the past four semesters aside from a decrease in Spring 2009, at the height of the economic downturn.

Over this past semester there have been upwards of forty positions listed encompassing full time jobs for graduating seniors, summer internships for rising seniors, and leadership opportunities for rising juniors. To obtain an interview, students submit their resume for a specific position, through GWork. A member of the hiring firm then evaluates the resume and, if selected to interview, one would schedule an interview time online. Interviews typically take place in one of the breakout rooms in Duques Hall and are a half hour in length.

Though demand for jobs far outweighs supply, the business school’s F. David Fowler Career Center (FDFCC) has been working aggressively to bring more employers to campus. The center employs an Employer Development Team whose focus is on pursuing new relationships with firms. The FDFCC has also reached out to Board of Trustees members and parents of the GWSB community to identify new partners. James Barricelli, Associate Director of Employers relations at the F. David Fowler Career Center said via e-mail that, “This initiative has resulted in additional job postings and new employer relationships.”

While competition for jobs remains fierce as ever, the class of 2011 has reason to breathe a bit easier. The National Association of Colleges and Employers report that employers plan to hire 13.5% more new bachelor’s graduates in 2011 than in 2010. With 71% of graduating GWSB seniors securing job offers in 2010, hiring at GW has significantly increased since the class of 2009, which saw only 60% of graduates securing employment upon graduation. Though the employment numbers jumped 11% in 2010, the 2009 hiring numbers were inconsistent with past years and Barricelli said, “we do not anticipate the same percentage increase in 2010-2011.”

For those who are still job hunting, there are still opportunities to secure employment. As of this writing there were still fourteen on campus recruiting positions accepting resumes on GWork and over 2,000 regular job postings.