With everyone from chipmakers to consulting firms in a frantic search to find workers, companies are in hot pursuit of future graduates. Many firms this year accelerated interviewing schedules and hit college campuses this fall to get their offers out early. That means more students will spend the holidays mulling over where to work rather than mailing out r sum s. Salaries continue to rise - for all majors. And signing bonuses are as common as dinners at four-star restaurants.
Some businesses even offer bonuses to summer interns.
Patrick Sampson got a signing bonus at International Paper - and no suit required. Eileen Wexler, an engineering major at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, already has two offers in hand - one from a top Wall Street firm, the other from a computer giant. And more will likely follow. Five major competitors will fly her to their headquarters next month - all expenses paid. In fact, when she told one company she was too booked to visit, the recruiters flew to her.