Career Forum Takes Place Today

More than 100 organizations, corporations and programs from around the country will offer information booths about job and foreign study opportunities to Harvard students today.

The 1995 Career Forum will take place today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Gordon Track and Tennis Center.

The Forum, sponsored by the Office of Career Services (OCS), will feature 97 business organizations, including consulting, investment banking and management, as well as 27 programs for study abroad.

"It's an opportunity to learn," said Bill Wright-Swadel, Director of OCS. "[Students] can learn what [the corporations] are doing, what the field is like, what specific opportunities they are looking for Harvard people to fill."

Swadel said students should not panic if they have not yet decided upon a career option.

"It's okay to be undecided," said Swadel. "We're not trying to make this an interview. It is an opportunity for students to direct the questions."

Most booths will be staffed by two to three representatives from each organization.

"[The representatives] are people who know the Harvard experience," Swadel said. "Students can get a fairly realistic perspective on organizations and what they are looking for."

Most representatives will offer introductory information to students. But students coming to the fair with some knowledge of the programs may find it easier to get specific information.

"There's a lot of information [students] need to get," said Marianne Blanchard '82, who is organizing the booth for Abt Associates, a financial and economic consulting firm. "It's hard in that forum to give people a good overview of who you are."

"The best students we see are those who are focused," said Brian Whalen, who is organizing the booth for the Boston University study abroad program. "Be prepared to ask about specifics."

While some organizations do ask for resumes at the fair, Swadel stressed that the Forum is mostly informal, saying that its main purpose is "information exchange and education."

The most important thing students can bring to the Forum is "a sense of curiosity and a willingness to ask a lot of questions," said Victor E. Williams, director of the recruiting effort for Cornerstone Research.

Interested students can pick up a list and map of booths at the Forum today, in The Crimson Career Forum supplement or at the Office of Career Services.