Since autumn quarter began last year admid the plunge of the nation’s economy, on-campus interviews at the UW have witnessed a drop in student attendance.

Staff members at the UW’s Career Center stated that the decline is largely due to a student perception that employers are hiring less or not at all while the United States is steeped in recession.

“We had some employers cancel their on-campus interviews,” Career Center events coordinator Emma O’Neill said, explaining this was because a mere scattering of students signed up to participate.

The truth is, while large businesses may be faced with layoffs, they still look for new employees, especially students, with a diverse array of skill sets and new talents to invigorate their corporations.

A lot of those businesses seek out UW students to fill gaps in their company rosters.

“Even though companies are laying off, they’re also hiring from the college market,” said Diane Martin, Associate Director for Employer Relations at the Career Center. “We’re seeing a great need for that college talent. They have what employees are looking for.”

HuskyJobs, a Web site that helps connect students with potential employers, is an under-utilized resource available through the Career Center, O’Neill said.

Even during these slow economic times, December saw 1,300 job posts on the site.

Employers are making a greater effort to attract students by hosting employer panels, resumé workshops and etiquette dinners, and participating in collaborative events such as Career Discovery Week, which offers a multitude of opportunities for networking.

“Employers also come and do presentations called information sessions,” senior career counselor Briana Keller said. “You can meet with a recruiter, maybe have some free pizza, become enlightened [about jobs] … they are also continuing to come to career fairs and continuing to post on HuskyJobs.”

At a medical career event last week, recruiters tempted students with coupons for free food.

“The gift for coming and staying for the whole thing was a free burrito or meal at Chipotle — food is always good for broke college students,” said freshman Rebecca Woo, who intends to study medical technology and pre-med. “A lot of employers gave us business cards … and were very nice and encouraging for us to e-mail them if we have additional questions.”

Keller cited a Seattle Times article that found nursing and technology careers to be very popular right now, saying that there also appeared to be a spike in students applying for government jobs.

“There will be a number of retirements,” Keller said. “A lot of times when the administration changes, there seems to be … a renewed energy.”

Martin agreed, adding that companies often seek to hire new employees from a variety of educational backgrounds.

“When you talk about majors, these companies are looking across the board,” Martin said.

Regardless of students’ career paths, employers are eager to put a fresh mind to work. Martin emphasized that students must never underestimate the power of networking and utilizing resources.

“It’s important for students to be very, very proactive,” Martin said. “Take advantage of the opportunities out there.”

Reach contributing writer Rachel Solomon at development@dailyuw.com.