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More than 1,000 Sacramento State students swarmed to the Spring 2006 Career Fair, which offered information from more than 100 companies on March 28, said Shari Gonzales, career events specialist for the Sac State Career Center.

Employers looking to recruit college-educated students set up tables in the University Union Ballroom and talked to students during the four-hour event. It was also an opportunity for students to submit resumes and give contact information in hopes of getting an interview later on.

Gonzales said the 120 companies present in this semester’s event had full-time career positions open and were looking for undergraduate or graduate students to hire.

Military recruiters were the exception to this rule because they were generally recruiting college-level students with specific career aspirations, Gonzales said.

Some of the companies present at the event such as Apple Inc., the Sacramento Police Department and the United States Marine Corps come to the event annually.

Progressive, an auto insurance company, has had good luck with the level of student responses from past Sac State career fairs, said Stacy Smyk, the company college recruiter for the Western Region.

B.J. Bernardo, the human resource manager for the Carmichael Home Depot, said the company has also benefited from attending the annual career event.

For other companies such as Carpenter Co. ?” a comfort cushioning manufacturer ?” this was its first time taking part in the event.

Denny Bryant, the division manager for Carpenter Co., said he had met with some potential applicants.

“We’re looking for the applicants who have good communication skills, assured of the work that they do and are competent within their degrees,” Bryant said.

For information regarding the Career Center, interview hints and company contact information students can visit the career center Web site, Gonzales said.

The registration fee that the vendors paid to enter in the career fair supports the Career Center’s resources, Gonzales said. According to the Career Fair Web site, corporations, such as Black and Decker, paid $495, government and education companies, such as the California Department of Education, paid $245, and nonprofit organizations, such as Child and Family Institute, paid $90.

Ahmed Nabeel, a senior criminal justice major, said he liked how employers at the event offered positions, and that there was a more diverse selection of companies available to the students.

“It was better than the last career fair,” Nabeel said.

Eric Randall, a senior psychology major, said even though there were not any businesses which specialized in psychology, there were options that he could take.

“It was very informative,” said Kristy Longacre, a senior public relations major.

If students were unable to attend the career fair, they can get a list of the participating companies from the Career Center Web site at http://www.csus.edu/careercenter.

Jamie Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]