There is something different about the way your classmates are dressing, and it has more to do with their future than with current fashion trends. One less person is wearing baggy jeans and a sweatshirt; instead, they are sporting a tailored suit with heels or dress shoes, all sure signs that the fall season of recruitment is in full swing. This is the start to a senior year of resume drops, career fair schmoozing and rounds of interviews until seniors find the right fit and the right fit finds them.

Hundreds of companies will descend upon campus this fall. The 2005 on-campus recruitment season brought 619 firms, conducting 8,818 interviews and hiring approximately 17 percent of seniors, according to a Career Services survey. Less than one year later, many of those 17 percent return to recruit. “It’s amazing how much more you learn when you are on the other side of the recruiting equation,” Eric Hsu ’05 of Wachovia Securities explains. “You realize what is important on a resume, which answers are the ‘good’ answers, and which candidates get the job.”

It is now our job to review the resumes. “When confronted with 200-plus resumes for 13 interview slots, the quantity of candidates with impressive job experiences and great GPAs is overwhelming. While resumes are not everything, there’s unfortunately not much more to work from,” admits Diana Myint ’04, one of the youngest recruiters from her team at Barclays Bank. “From a 30-minute interview and a blank piece of paper, how do we recognize who is sufficiently motivated, intelligent, aggressive and affable?”

While we also represent our companies at the career fair, it is an adjustment to be shaking the hands of the long line of students waiting to ask us questions. As we look around, we share a sense of pride recognizing other recent graduates representing their respective companies, shares Cait Myles ’06 from Watson Wyatt.

As interview day arrives, we are now asking the tough questions that made us squirm. “The anxiety from interviewing is gone, and it is replaced with the excitement of seeing candidates display the enthusiasm and angst that you once felt from the job hunt,” Michael Mannarino ’04, an analyst at NERA Economic Consulting, reflects on his three recruiting trips to campus. As the interview comes to a close, “you end up comparing the questions they ask you to what you used to ask,” shares Ira Blumberg ’05 of Merrill Lynch. Talk about déjà vu.

While some seniors are hired through on campus recruiting, where do the other 83 percent find jobs? Approximately 33 percent of the class head straight to graduate school, bypassing the search now to enter the workforce later as a lawyer or doctor. For some students, the internship during the summer between junior and senior year leads to a full time job. For others, senior year is the start of an independent search as we recruit companies to showcase our talents. We take this path for numerous reasons. Sometimes, we are trying to break into an industry where job openings are rarely posted in advance, or we desire to give back at nonprofit organizations.

Often, this path is accompanied by a longer wait, but one that is rewarding. “I had quite an extensive job search, especially because I aspired to break into the sports industry,” says Jay Jendrewski ’05, who received his offer to work for the NHL during the summer after graduation. “It caused a lot of distress throughout my senior year. However, in the end, I believe my decision will prove to have been worth it as I gained important experience in the sports industry and have taken steps in the direction of my dreams.”

During the search, we realize the power of personal connections. Alumni, including recent graduates, are tremendous resources who are willing to offer advice, connect you with networking organizations and share opportunities. Even if you do not have a contact at a company, try calling or mailing a letter — it may make you stand out from the long list of candidates sending emails. Rachel Pokorney ’06 recently started her job as a program associate with the Pulmonary Hypertension Association. While she tried traditional search engines like Idealist.org, Rachel saw results when she “started calling places two weeks after I sent my resume.” Perseverance like Rachel’s takes time and ingenuity, but now she is working in a field she loves.

Yet, there is still one group who I have left out of this career search story. They are the seniors who postpone looking for a job because, well, they are not quite sure what should be the goal of their search. Ask yourself, what were your favorite activities and subjects in class over the last few years? Take your initial ideas and look at the Career Contact Network organized by Cornell Career Services. You can search by industry or region to find alumni who shared similar interests and volunteer for informational interviews. If you are too shy to contact them directly, one global student organization with a chapter on Cornell’s campus has made it easier to speak with recent graduates and experts in a group setting without leaving the comfort of your room. Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) hosts a group conference call series where any student or recent graduate can listen to speakers from many fields, including journalism, government, law and business. Merely listening to these calls might be the start of your “Ready or Not” realization that senior year has arrived.

The flurry to decide on what’s next will only increase steadily as May approaches. Sit back, enjoy the ride, and don’t rush into wearing suits everyday. Not only is dry cleaning expensive, the real world doesn’t always let you sleep in late during the week or leave the office without homework.

Julia Levy ’05 graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be contacted at jml82@cornell.edu. One Year Out appears alternate Fridays.