The turnout of employers at Princeton’s 2008 Science and Technology Job Fair Oct. 10 showed few signs of the current global financial crisis, offering hope to undergraduate and graduate students worried about their futures.

More than 60 corporations, government agencies and laboratories were represented at the fair, including Accenture, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft and the Central Intelligence Agency. The event, which was held in Dillon Gym, was co-sponsored by the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Office of Career Services.

“The students have been hearing distressing economic news all around them, and your presence here reassures them about the opportunities they will find,” said Peter Bogucki, Princeton Engineering associate dean for undergraduate affairs, in welcoming the recruiters.

“We have heard from top management that [the financial crisis] does not affect our campus hiring,” said Ginny Cheng, a recruiter from Microsoft. “The potential of college students is quite important to us.”

Recruiters from other industries, including consulting giant Accenture and Citadel, a financial firm, also said they have no plans to scale back hiring efforts, despite today’s dismal economic situation.

“We’re still looking for driven students who are self-motivated to dive deep into problems, especially in today’s world with these markets,” said Daniel (D.J.) Earl, a representative from Citadel, noting that “great possibilities” are presented by a need to overhaul Wall Street.