Harvard Overwhelmed by Company Recruiting

The number of companies recruiting at Harvard increased 11 percent this year, defying a trend of declining recruitment reported this week by The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Employers responding to a nationwide survey by the College Placement Council planned to visit 11.3 percent fower campuses this year.

The survey, released last week, found that because employers have reduced recruiting budgets, they are visiting fewer colleges and focusing their recruiting on "key schools."

The rise in the number of companies recruiting at Harvard is the first such uptick since a substantial drop in 1990, according to Judith E. Murray, recruiting coordinator at the Office of Career Services.

"More companies wanted to add schedules this year. We had to turn away four or five investment banks, some manufacturing companies and a couple of consulting firms," Murray said, citing physical space considerations as a factor limiting the number of companies that can participate in the Harvard recruiting program.

"I think I had a lot more first-shot interviews than my friends who were seniors last year," said Jacob L. Silverman '93, who went through the recruiting process.

Murray said Harvard may be a school that employers are concentrating on, even as they continue to reduce visits to other universities.

"A lot of companies cut back [after the '80s], but Harvard has been lucky in that way," Murray said.

But the increased recruiter presence on campus does not necessarily make it easy to get a job, caution seniors who have been through the process.

"I interviewed with 25 companies, and I only got one offer out of recruiting. A lot of companies waste your time," Silverman said.