ORONO – This year’s University of Maine Career Fair, scheduled for Jan. 31 at the Field House, has attracted more employers from Maine and throughout the country than ever before. They represent an ever-expanding variety of career choices, from engineering to retail management, and even the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.

“We’re up to 111, actually,” said UM Career Center Director Patty Counihan. “We’re always thrilled if we get 100.”

Now what’s needed is the student component.

“That’s our challenge,” Counihan says. Previously, 800-1,000 students have turned out for the annual career fair. That’s a number Counihan would like to see rise, particularly among liberal arts majors, who may be under the misperception that jobs are scarce for them.

The annual Career Fair, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., is probably the state’s largest assembly of prospective employers looking to meet college students from all disciplines who are interested in possible internships or jobs after graduation.

Students can come to browse the flyers and brochures or bring resumes for impromptu interviews that just might lead to an internship before graduation or a job afterward.

Most major companies in Maine will be there, and though many will be looking for young engineers or healthcare workers, the retail industry will have a bigger presence this year, Counihan said.

Wal-Mart, Kohl’s, Target, The Home Depot and Shaw’s are five new retail participants joining long-time exhibitors, all looking for more than cashiers, according to Counihan. “These are management trainee positions,” she says. “This is the entry point into the retail field.”

In fact, Hannaford Brothers, in conjunction with UM marketing Professor Kim McKeage, has organized a retail reception for students after the Career Fair.

Other employers looking to hire UM graduates include organizations like the Peace Corps and KidsPeace, in addition to representatives from well-known research facilities, banks and insurance companies, surveyors, hospitals, shipbuilders, landscapers, news media, construction companies, schools, government, military and law enforcement agencies and event planning fields. Two UM graduates working for a Texas oil company will be here looking for employee prospects, Counihan added.

She attributes the increasing attendance to an improving job market and the growing reputation of the annual Career Fair.

“It’s a combination of things,” she said.

The Career Center Web site, www.umaine.edu/career/careerfairs.html, has a complete list of participating companies.

While the Career Fair is open at no cost to the public, most company representatives will be looking for students currently in college or those expecting to graduate, according to Counihan. Underclass and graduate students are equally encouraged to attend.

The Career Fair is sponsored by the UMaine Career Center, a member of the Division of Student Affairs. For more information, contact the Career Center at 581-1359 or visit its offices on the third floor of the Memorial Union.