Career day draws few

The Third Annual International Career Recruitment Day, held Tuesday in the International House's Yarnall Conference Center, was marked by a small turnout and the noted absence of Exxon International. Andrew Adair, coordinator of Resident and International Student Programs at International House, said that yesterday's ICRD drew approximately 400 students, 200 fewer than expected, and far below last year's mark of 700. Adair said that while he sent ICRD reminders to many universities, he is not sure whether they received the information or publicized the event. Nevertheless, International House Assistant to the Director of Marketing Ronald Kern said that the low turnout benefited the students in attendance. It resulted in shorter lines and allowed for lengthier discussions with recruiters. Adair said that Exxon International cancelled yesterday morning, but they apparently did not give an explanation for their last-minute withdrawal. International House held the first ICRD two years ago to give international students from the Delaware Valley the opportunity to talk with American recruiters from multi-national corporations about positions available in foreign offices. It soon expanded to accommodate international students from universities up and down the eastern seaboard. It is now one of the six largest recruiting events for international students in the nation. Approximately half of the students interviewing for jobs yesterday were from the University, Adair said. Most of them were interested in positions dealing with engineering and business. Adair said that most companies prefer to hire students with foreign backgrounds who were raised in the United States because it enables them to cut costs and to succeed in foreign markets. He said that students who return to work in their native countries succeed not only because they are familiar with the local culture, but also because they understand American business practices. Adair added that there were also many Americans at ICRD, most of whom attended because they wanted the opportunity to live and work in another culture. Lidia Amodei, a senior international business major at Temple University, attended ICRD to interview with the recruiters from Exxon and Kepner-Tregoe, Inc. A dual citizen of Italy and the United States, Amodei is fluent in Italian and French. She said that her goal is to find work in one of the countries the European Economic Community or in the United States with the World Bank. She said that ICRD and International House were instrumental in this search. "Personally, I went to a lot of job fairs and to on-campus recruiting, but there weren't any international jobs open to someone with my background," she said. Kern said that many University students are still not aware of International House and its programs, including ICRD. "International House is a resource for Penn that students don't know much about," Kern said.