Sun Microsystems' website lists 465 openings for graduates at its headquarters. But the technology giant was nowhere to be found at the campus Career Development Center, where seniors began turning in their résumés last fall for consideration by recruiters. Also absent: software company Avant!, financial services firm American Express, e-commerce site eBoodle and 248 others.
The problem? A shortage of space. The Class of 2000 recruiting calendar filled up by May 1999 and accommodated 345 companies in 11 interview rooms. Another 91 employers were set up at Tresidder Union or local hotels. "We do this on a first-come, first-served basis," says Robert Thirsk, the center's director. "We have to be fair."
While established companies may not get in, more often start-ups, nonprofits and government agencies lose out because they can't predict openings far in advance. Thirsk plans this year to set aside a few rooms for those kinds of interviewers. Another factor is that more employers now prefer to recruit in the fall to lock in student commitment early.
The space crunch may ease once the center moves into a new facility near the Haas Center in two years. It will have more than 20 interview rooms, but Thirsk admits that employers may still be turned away. They might think about making reservations now.
