Ties flapping and heels clicking, students flocked to the Sheraton Commander Hotel and the Student Organization Center at Hilles to accumulate company brochures and chit-chat with career representatives at the Harvard Job & Internship Fair Friday.

Bringing together 85 companies, the annual fair spanned a variety of industries including biotech, engineering, finance, consulting, government, and education. According to Deborah A. Carroll, associate director for employer relations at the Office of Career Services, roughly 600 to 800 students attended the event.

This year’s fair also hosted several newcomers, including more start-ups than in the past. Bain Capital Ventures Startup Academy, another first-timer, offered games to attract students.

Fangzhou Yu ’14, who attended the fair to scope out potential internships for this summer, said he found the fair very helpful. “It’s nice to hold [these kinds] of events on campus,” he said.

While the fair was targeted toward seniors and juniors, some freshmen and sophomores also attended to learn more about post-graduation options. “I just wanted to see what the job and internship fair really is, but I’m not really looking for an internship,” Mark D. Grozen-Smith ’15 said.

Julian R. Keuerleber, a visiting student who is looking for a full-time job, said he would have preferred to meet employees of the companies that work in the specific divisions in which he has an interest, rather than general representatives.

Companies attend to the event after receiving an invitation from OCS or expressing interest in connecting with Harvard students. Students are also asked to create wish lists of firms they would like to see at the fair.