First AUS Virtual Career Fair receives overwhelming response from students and alumni

More than 1,700 American University of Sharjah (AUS) students and alumni explored employment and internship opportunities and connected with leading regional and international corporate entities at the first Virtual Career Fair held by AUS yesterday, April 20.

Hosted on a virtual platform, the Career Fair allowed graduates and students to explore a host of career openings, including full-time positions and internships in environment, finance, accounting, engineering, marketing, digital media and communication, economics, graphic design, business, construction, oil and gas, statistics and other fields. It also provided students with an opportunity to be interviewed by employers from companies and organizations at the local, regional, international, private, semi-government and government levels.

Speaking about his experience at the fair, Mousataf Al-Disouqi, AUS alumnus and electrical engineer, said:

“I found the AUS Virtual Career Fair very easy to navigate. Prior to the event, the university sent us a list of the participating companies and the vacancies and opportunities on offer, which made it easier to approach the recruiters directly when I logged in. I was looking for opportunities in electrical engineering, operations and management, and I was able to communicate easily with the recruiters via messages in their chat rooms, as well as apply for jobs.”

He added: “This event was very important, as currently we are going through a challenging time that makes meeting recruiters and applying for jobs very difficult. The Virtual Career Fair represented a great opportunity to get in touch with potential employers and apply for jobs. I had a wonderful experience.”

The response to the event was so overwhelming that its hours were extended.

"Due to the high demand from our students and graduates, we extended the Virtual Career Fair for an additional two hours to cater to the big turnout, which is an indicator of its success,” said Charles A. Diab, Executive Director of the AUS Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs (OAAA), the organizers of the event.

He also expressed his gratitude to the event sponsors and recruiters and said:

“On behalf of the university, I would like to thank the event strategic partner, Crescent Enterprises; our annual institutional advancement sponsors, Bee’ah, Crescent Petroleum and Petrofac; the event’s Silver Sponsor, Sharjah Media City (Shams); and all the other sponsors and participating companies in this year’s AUS Virtual Career Fair for their support and the opportunities that they are providing for our students and alumni. You are helping to unlock and develop the special qualities and promise of our students, as they embark on a future full of possibilities and challenges as we help meet your talent requirements."

During the fair, students and alumni connected with top recruiters via video and text chat, browsed virtual booths, checked the posted vacancies and applied for postions, and networked with recruiters. Participating companies and recruiters had personalized booths equipped with special tabs to share video content, 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.

Participants were also able to attend webinars and discussion sessions held by top recruiters, including a webinar entitled "The Impact of COVID-19 on the Future of Work, and How Graduates Can Be Better Prepared," delivered by Dimitris Tsouroplis, HR Director of Crescent Enterprises; and a panel discussion entitled "The Future of Sustainability: How to Translate your Skills into a Job in Sustainability" that featured Dr. Hashem Stietiya, Director of Research and Consultancy, Bee’ah; Yousif AlMutawa, CEO, Sharjah Sustainability City; Florence Bulte, Head of Sustainable Engagement, Chalhoub Group; and Dr. Muawieh Radaideh, Sustainability Expert. The discussion was moderated by Rose Armour, Head of Sustainability, AUS.

Speaking about the event, Khaled Al Huraimel, Chief Executive Officer of Bee’ah Group and one of the institutional advancement sponsors of the event, said:

“Adapting to new digital platforms and strategies is essential during the COVID-19 outbreak as we practice social distancing. It is exciting to see how AUS has digitalized its annual career fair for students, giving companies like Bee’ah the opportunity to engage with young graduates and promising talent.”

He added: “Notable universities like AUS contribute to the UAE’s skilled workforce and thriving economy, which is why Bee’ah has various AUS alumni in employment, all of whom are making a difference and working towards a sustainable future.”

Rebecca Feghali, Talent Acquisition Officer from L'Oréal Middle East and event Bronze sponsor, said:

“The AUS Virtual Career Fair was a great success, and definitely exceeded expectations. The platform was very interactive, and we were able to access the right information about the students and alumni who were looking for opportunities. We are really happy with the turn-out of the talented students and alumni and their continuous eagerness to learn more about companies and start their career.”

In its first rendition, the AUS Virtual Career Fair was enabled by 34 eminent corporate supporters. These included:

Event strategic partner: Crescent Enterprises; Institutional advancement sponsors: Bee’ah, Crescent Petroleum, and Petrofac; Silver sponsor: Sharjah Media City (Shams); and Bronze sponsors: L’Oréal Middle East, Chalhoub Group, Ernst & Young, Sharjah Coop, Procter & Gamble, Henkel, and Sharjah National Oil Corporation. Other participating companies included Al Sayegh Group, Arada, Bosch, Commercial Bank of Dubai, Deloitte, Du, Dubai Police, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Hilti, Hira Industries, Lockheed Martin Corporation, LWK + PARTNERS, Mashreq, Nestle, Nutricia Middle East (Danone), Richemont, Schlumberger, Schneider Electric, Standard Chartered Bank, Stevin Rock, Transmed, Unilever, and Visa Inc. The AUS Office of Graduate Programs also took part in the event in order to respond to queries from students and alumni considering post-graduate education at the university.

ENDS