SBM holds successful CareerWise event

To help students transition into the world of work, the Dean’s Business Team in partnership with the School of Business and Management’s (SBM) Placement and Internship Office held a special event entitled CareerWise recently.

The event began with speed mentoring sessions, where 130 students were seen taking keen interest in the advice given by representatives of the supporting companies. Through a systematic 15-minute rotation schedule, the students interacted with the mentors and benefited from their wise words.

“My piece of advice to the students is that academics and hard work is not all that matters,” said Ryan Lynch, Head of Talent at HSBC, on the occasion. “I would like to see a student go above and beyond academic studies into the outside world, and exercise leadership along with being proactive in making his/her own career path.”

Following the mentoring sessions, a Career Coaching Zone was set up in the SBM foyer. Some of the companies present included Al Fardan Group, Bayt.com, The Big Start and others. One-to-one advice was given to the students along with recommendations on CVs and interviewing tips.

Two interactive sessions followed as a part of the career coaching initiative. Iba Masood from Gradberry addressed the social media workshop, highlighting and reinstating the role of social media and online networking in the career search process. This session was followed by an Internship Briefing Seminar, hosted by SBM faculty members Dr. Paul Williams, Associate Dean; Tatyana Gibbs, Internship Coordinator; and Alaa el-Dien Ali Hamade. The Dean’s Business Team mentor Anam Merchant shared her internship experiences and some quick tips and reminders with the potential interns. Meirc Consulting also addressed the students about the internship opportunities available with them and interviewed potential candidates.

“What I’ve heard from employers is that they were all so impressed with the SBMers!” said Linda McLoughlin, SBM Placement Director. “They could not believe the level of talent we have. Our students received excellent advice from industry professionals on how to build their careers.”