On a snowy January afternoon, 14 company representatives, alumni and 75 students met at the Faculty Club at Brandeis for the GSIEF Career Expo and Resume Critique. Despite the inclement weather, students and employers alike were focused on making productive connections with each other. To address employers' and student's needs, this year's Career Expo was enhanced by the addition of a Resume Critique component. Although the job market has seen a tightening, several companies came with job opportunities.

Both students and employers seemed satisfied with the expo.

Harry Palmin '93, president of Novelos Therapeutics, and James Kihungi '00, senior sales analyst at the high technology marketing company Boardwalk, commented on the caliber of students at the event. "The students have diverse backgrounds and a lot of different skill sets," Palmin observed. "They are unique and that's the strength of GSIEF. Among those I talked to were students from Russia, Bulgaria, Latin America and Japan. They are truly international." Kihungi declared the dozen students he met "extremely mature and ready for the employment market."

Raluca Zelinschi '03 was one of about 70 students attending. "The Expo gave us an opportunity to exercise our people skills, get feedback on our resumes and meet a lot of different employers," she commented. "It was very helpful." Erik Rios '02 was pleased to see a variety of industries represented in a time when investment banks and consulting companies have cut back.

As the economy has slowed, GSIEF Career Services has moved into overdrive, with job placements for the class of 2002 keeping pace with last year's record. Gioia Danesi-Goodrum, Assistant Dean for Career Services observed, "We're encouraging our students to think outside the box when it comes to that first job, and it's working. As of March 1, we had placed 15 percent of students, about the same as last year."

The companies represented at the Career Expo and Resume Critique included: Bay Financial, Citizens Bank, Impole Corporation, Met Life Financial Services, State Street Associates, Brandeis University, The Gillette Company, State Street Corporation, Aon Insurance, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Novelos Therapeutics and Boardwalk.