Company representatives speak to prospective exployees at a Career Fair in Hughes Trigg Student center Wednesday afternoon. (Stuart Palley)

SMU students hoped to “find their direction” by attending the semiannual career fair on Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The spring career fair, sponsored by the Hegi Family Career Development Center and the BBA Career Services, is designed for students to learn more about internships and even possible future employment.

The Hughes-Trigg Ballroom was crowded with upperclassmen looking for summer positions. There were over 95 different companies seeking employees.

“The great thing about the Career Fair is that you can find jobs anywhere,” computer engineering student John Forest said.

Abercrombie and Fitch, Ernst and Young, Match.com and PriceWaterhouseCoopers were just a few businesses among the variety of organizations represented. To accommodate all the companies that took part in the career fair, staff members placed booths out into the ballroom’s lobby. Representatives from retailers, financial consulting firms and the armed forces participated in the fair.

“We posted applications for businesses on the Web site in October, and there were so many organizations interested that we had to have a waiting list,” Associate Director of Employer Relations Marva McGrew said.

The variety of employers drew in a large crowd. Over 600 people came to the career fair. However, such a turnout is not uncommon.

“It was impressive how many people were there,” senior Todd Baty said.

Although professional dress was recommended, many students found the fair to be relaxed and informative. Students brought their SMU ID and a resume for any companies in which they were interested. Prior to the event, the entire student body received e-mails about career fair “dos and don’ts” podcast to help ensure success in obtaining a position.

The next fair will be held in the fall, and the Hegi Family Career Development Center hopes to bring in another group of companies for SMU students.

The center is also sponsoring several other activities such as a seminar called “Land an Internship,” which features tools on how to earn a summer internship while on spring break. The seminar will be held Tuesday, Feb. 20 in Atriums A and B.