PHILADELPHIA (February 21, 2011) - Employers representing an array of industries and organizations, including financial services, retail, food marketing, advertising, non-profits and government agencies will be on the Saint Joseph’s University campus for the Spring Career Fair on Thursday, Feb. 24.

The event, hosted by the University’s Career Development Center, will take place from 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., in SJU’s Athletic Center.

“We are encouraged by the increased number of employers who are hiring,” said Jennifer Rossi, a recruitment specialist with SJU’s Career Development Center.  “The 170 who will be represented here is 30 percent more than participated in the Career Fair a year ago.  That’s a significant jump.” Rossi said that as the economy recovers, budgets are bouncing back and employers are lifting hiring freezes.  “This translates into more opportunities out there.”

The Career Fair is expected to attract nearly 800 job seekers – students from freshmen to seniors, grad students and alumni.

Graduating senior Mariel Edwards is proof positive of the rewards of early engagement with the career planning process.  As a freshman with a double major in accounting and finance, she learned she needed a resume to apply for membership in the student business fraternity.

She sought the advice of the Career Development Center, where a resume critique helped her put her best foot forward.  “I had worked in an ice cream place, and they really helped me package the skills I used there, as well as in my campus activities,” said Edwards.

The Center’s mock interview sessions proved helpful when Edwards began interviewing for internships.  “I felt prepared for the questions recruiters ask you and more confident about how to present myself in the best light.  And it really helped calm my nerves.”

After an initial contact at SJU’s Career Fair during her sophomore year, Edwards interned last spring as a junior with the accounting firm KPMG. When it concluded, she was offered a permanent job following her graduation.  “It was unbelievable – I knew I had a job offer for a year-and-a-half later!”

“We see more and more students realizing the career-building value of internships,” Rossi noted.  “We have seniors talking to underclass students and we encourage students to view this as part of a four-year plan, from exploring majors to considering career paths and landing internships to acquiring the experience that employers will value when they graduate.”

Among the 170 employers at this spring’s career fair are Ernst & Young, Conagra Foods, Devereux Pennsylvania, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, CIGNA, Lincoln Financial Group, Target Corporation Drug Enforcement Administration and Torre Lazur McCann advertising agency.