According to electronic attendance data, more than 860 students attended the Employer Connections Fair on Wednesday, which featured representatives from nonprofit groups in the Top of the Hop and for-profit companies in Alumni Hall.
While law schools had previously held interviews on campus, the Law School Fair was the first coordinated effort by Career Services to host multiple law schools in one venue, Acting Co-Director of Career Services Monica Wilson said.
"Law schools were asking to visit, and some of them didn't see a lot of students," Wilson said. "We thought it would be convenient to have a one-stop shopping experience so that they could meet a range of schools in one visit."
Dartmouth's small student body and engaging faculty produce excellent candidates for law school, according to Todd Morton '78, assistant dean and dean of admissions at Vanderbilt Law School.
Companies have formed close relationships with students and alumni through the Employer Connections Fair, which has been held annually for over 10 years, according to Wilson. Internships often lead to full-time positions at companies.
"The fair gives exposure to a wide range of experiences, both internships and entry-level," Wilson said. "It gives them a chance to meet people, especially alumni, face to face."
While some students avoid events held by Career Services because they assume that they need to have concrete career plans in order to attend, Wilson said that talking with potential employers allows students the opportunity to realize their personal interests and passions.
Representatives at the event said that Dartmouth's intimate learning environment produces employees who are open to collaboration.
Dartmouth's network of alumni offers students a variety of career options, according to Bennett Siegel '11, a representative from the private equity firm the Audax Group. A member of the Class of 2009 referred him to the position at a career fair, Siegel said.
Many seniors who attended the fair were searching for full-time positions, which some companies were not offering, according to Carolyn Ciampa, a representative from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.
"This is our first time at the fair," Ciampa said. "We're here to recruit interns for the summers, and our goal is to eventually have the interns go full time."
Peter McCallum, a representative from Bunge, an international agribusiness and food company that has attended the fair for five years, said that there is no "magic formula" when applying for jobs.
Students said that representatives were better able to address personal problems and inquiries in person than via email or online.
"I got a lot of questions answered that you wouldn't be able to find answers to from a blurb on Dartboard," Adam Doherty '13 said.
Ellen Wu '15 said that she had never attended a career fair before but was interested in seeing which companies visited campus.
While he was pleased with the number of companies that had sent representatives to the fair, Jeff Wilson '13 said that there was not enough space for each company.
Attendance data for Thursday's session was unavailable by press time.
