A sea of suits and ties flooded the College of Business Administration last week as Notre Dame business students met with representatives from more than 100 companies at the annual COBA Career Forum.

The forum welcomed a wide range of companies to set up informational booths and recruit the University's best and brightest.

On Thursday, seniors and MBA students gathered in a formal setting to mingle with company representatives.

"The companies are here to hire," said Mike Fortner of Great West Life, adding that he already had a few serious candidates after one evening of collecting resumes.

The Friday afternoon sessions were more casual, as business students roamed the forum to get a feel for the current job market. Students took advantage of the networking opportunities for summer internships and temporary positions.

While some underclassmen just came to look, many juniors had a specific objective in mind.

"Last year I just came to get free pens, but this year I'm serious," said junior Jascint Vukelich, who came to the forum in search of an internship in investment banking.

In addition to company representatives, students also could receive resume critiques and informational sessions in consulting, marketing, operations, accounting, corporate finance and entrepreneurship.

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