AUS Virtual Career Fair attracts hundreds of opportunities for students and graduates

Around 1,400 American University of Sharjah (AUS) students and alumni explored a wide variety of employment and internship opportunities made available by leading regional and international organizations at the AUS Virtual Career Fair held yesterday, March 16.

The virtual event brought together 40 local, regional and international private and government organizations offering a host of career openings in engineering, architecture, business, environment, digital media and communication, oil and gas, among other fields.

Alumnus Sayed Waqar Raza found it easy to speak to employers in his search for senior positions in sales.

“Overall, my experience was positive. The market is challenging at the moment and there are many people out there who are looking for employment. The AUS Career Fair is a good place to network and meet with prospective employers,” said the technical sales lead who graduated from AUS in 2014 with a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

Organized by the Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs (OAAA) in strategic partnership with Crescent Enterprises, the popular event provided students and alumni with an opportunity to connect with top recruiters via video and text chat, browse virtual booths, check the posted vacancies and apply for positions, and network with recruiters. Participating companies and recruiters had branded booths equipped with special tabs to share videos, documents, vacancies and chat options. They also had access to digital tools and features that helped them search resumes and access a diversified set of candidate skills, experience levels and backgrounds.

Anas Ghazal, who graduated from AUS in 2015 with a Master of Science in Engineering Systems Management with a concentration in engineering management, said he enjoyed the format. “The organization was amazing. The platform was very easy to use, the chat and calls applications were handy. It was easy to navigate the booths and speak to employers and view the available vacancies and internships on offer by each company,” he said.

Students and alumni were also able to benefit from webinars and discussion sessions held in parallel during the event. Among the speakers was AUS alumnus Khamis Al Mazrouie of Class of 2007, Head of Operations at Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC), who shared tips and tricks for success, as well as stories on how the university played a significant role during his career journey that led him to heading the operations at SNOC today.                   

Providing valuable insights into today’s job market and the career challenges graduates should be prepared to overcome, Dimitris Tsouroplis, HR Director of Crescent Enterprises highlighted how fresh jobseekers can reskill to keep up with the changing employment landscape.

Other well-attended sessions organized as part of the event also included: “Pioneer a Career in Building a Sustainable Quality Life” by Bee’ah; “Growing in the Digital Space” by Mastercard; and “Chalhoub Data Program: The Opportunity to Grow and Excel in Data and Analytics” by the Chalhoub Group.

Speaking about the success of this year’s event, Professor Kevin Mitchell, Chancellor of AUS, said:

"The annual Career Fair is an important event in the university's calendar as it offers possibilities to explore opportunities for full-time employment and internships. The university is committed to providing the support necessary to prepare students for the future, and we are grateful to the sponsors and organizations who collaborate with us to ensure that students are well positioned for career success.”

Speaking about the importance of the AUS Career Fair, Tushar Singhvi, Deputy CEO & Head of Investments, Crescent Enterprises, commented: "Our strategic partnership with AUS started in 2016. Since then, we have been working together to create meaningful opportunities for the region's youth. At a time when the world is faced by a myriad of challenges including COVID-19, we believe our active involvement with the AUS Virtual Career Fair is a necessity, providing a vital platform for connecting students and fresh graduates with leading employers across the MENA region. The provision of internship and employment opportunities through the event will not only support the growth and prosperity of youth in line with Crescent Enterprises' corporate citizenship strategy but will also lead to a future brimming with socio-economic sustainability in the region."

The AUS Virtual Career Fair was also enabled through the support of AUS institutional advancement events sponsors Bee’ah, Crescent Petroleum, Petrofac International Ltd, and Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC).

The event silver sponsors included Chalhoub Group, Dubai Multi Commodities Center (DMCC), Kraft Heinz, and L’Oréal Middle East; while the event bronze sponsors included ADNOC, Mastercard, Nestle, noon, P&G, Richemont, and Transmed.