They have their power business suits. They have their leather briefcases. They have their impeccably typed resumes. What most don’t have is the one trait nearly every business is looking for in this tight job market — experience.

That was the plight of several hundred Kansas University students Wednesday who were taking part in the first day of the university’s two-day job and career fair.

“The market is just flooded right now,” said Wesley Becks, a KU senior in political science. “Companies can absolutely take the best of the best right now.”

Beth Watkins, a Lawrence post-graduate student, called the situation “ridiculous.” She already has a degree in business administration and accounting, but decided to go back to school because the job market is so tight.

“There are PhDs and JDs applying for jobs that pay $40,000 a year,” Watkins said. “How do you compete with that? I think it is starting to loosen up, but it could get tight again if we go to war with Iraq.”

Several employers with booths at the job fair didn’t offer much good news to job seekers.

“We don’t even have any positions open right now,” said Allison Fredericks of Topeka-based Security Benefit Group of Companies. “We’re just trying to keep our name out there so when the economy does turn around, they’ll remember us.”

Fredericks said the company was receiving a large number of resumes, many of which were from highly experienced professionals who’d lost their jobs.

Yan Zhu, left, talks with Joe O'Toole, a representative from the Kansas University Medical Center, at the Kansas University Job and Career Fair. Zhu visited the fair Wednesday in the Kansas Union to meet various employers. Zhu, 25, is a KU graduate student from China.

“It is going to be tough for new graduates because we’re going to choose work experience over a new graduate almost every time,” Fredericks said. “I know I wouldn’t want to be graduating right now.”

Several job seekers said they weren’t too thrilled about graduating either. Jim Kupersmith, an Overland Park, senior, said his business administration degree had been more helpful in following the downward trek of the economy than finding him a job.

“It was great for so long, but when it came time for me to graduate, it just went south,” Kupersmith said. “It’s the story of my life.”

Kupersmith’s wife, Jennifer, also a KU senior in business, is looking for a job. But she said the only offerings seemed to be sales positions, which had her looking for something more temporary.

“I’m looking for any type of job right now,” she said. “Hotel, restaurant, anything. Finding something for a career is going to be pretty tough right now.”

But of the 98 companies and organizations at the fair, many said they were hiring.

Jennifer and Jim Kupersmith, both of Overland Park, are looking for work. They attended the Kansas University Job and Career Fair Wednesday in the Kansas Union.

Even Raytheon, a company in the heavily battered aviation and technology sector, had jobs to offer.

Cathy Downen, a representative with Raytheon, said the company had about 500 positions nationwide that it was seeking to fill. She also said the company still was interested in hiring recent graduates.

She said inquires at the company’s booth Wednesday were abnormally high.

“We’re talking to a lot more people,” Downen said. “Often students would already have a job offer by this time of year, but now we’re talking to people who don’t even have any leads.”

Some companies said they actually were doing more hiring during the slow economy. Brad McMinn of Mutual of Omaha said the company’s Kansas City offices were looking to hire 15 new sales associates, which is more than it has hired in the area for years.

“With this economy people have a tendency to be interested in a more secure investment opportunity, and that’s what we offer with life insurance,” McMinn said. “We’re looking to take advantage of that to expand.”

The job fair is organized by Kansas University’s Career and Employment Services. The event, which continues today in the Kansas Union, is expected to attract 134 employers, and approximately 1,500 job seekers.