Recruiters coming to Hill

Schmooze with the big boys and win over future employers with extensive resumes and freshly pressed suits.

This week Diversity Career Night and Carolina Career Fair will give students opportunities to further their career status.

Diversity Career Night will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. tonight in the Great Hall with 63 organizations in attendance.

The Diversity Career Night provides a unique opportunity to minority students, said Brandon Hodges, president of the Black Student Movement.

"It's important just to provide them with the opportunity to see that people are actively seeking them and their abilities," he said. "I think the diversity career fair is special in that it's a little bit smaller."

Hodges said the smaller setting allows minority students more time to talk one-on-one with possible employers who might be seeking minority candidates.

Many businesses will be represented at the Diversity Career Night - including NBC Universal, who will come to a UNC career fair for the first time.

"The reputation of UNC is an attraction," said Marian Holmes, an assistant director of University Career Services. "They know that we have bright, capable students."

The Carolina Career Fair will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday in the Dean Smith Center, where 108 organizations will be represented.

Holmes said the fairs are open to all University students.

"All students interested in gathering information for their career search should attend," she said. "It's an excellent opportunity to meet a variety of employers."

The businesses involved include government, nonprofit, business and industry groups among others. Abercrombie and Fitch, Geico, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and The Hershey Company will attend.

Holmes said students should prepare before attending the fairs.

"First of all, they should do a little research on the organizations," she said.

Holmes also said students should bring "loads of resumes" and dress in professional attire.

"They can impress with the way they present themselves," she said.

For those students who need to brush up on procedures for business dinners and receptions, UCS holds etiquette dinners, often sponsored by a corporate organization.

Students can visit the UCS Web site at careers.unc.edu to find the dates of the dinners.

Holmes said this year's career fairs and other programs should be successful and helpful for students.

"It's obvious by the attendance, the amount of organizations that are coming out for these events, that the job situation is looking up and we just encourage students to take advantage of this opportunity."

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.