25 Years of Career Services Commemorated at Fall 2016 Employment Fair
AUC’s 59th employment fair was a day to remember enabling students to interact and network with key employers in Egypt and the Middle East. With 75 companies and organizations present, current students and The American University in Cairo's (AUC) Alumni of every major had the chance to mingle with corporate professionals and apply for career opportunities. Celebrating the career center’s 25 years of career services, AUC President Francis Ricciardone recognized active employers who recruited on campus throughout the past 25 years.
The event started with a brief talk by Maha Guindi, the career center’s executive director, who recognized the efforts of all who made the day happen, including the center’s team. Provost Sherif Sedky invited employers to extend collaboration beyond hiring graduates to have more engagement, such as in research, that would result in a win-win situation for the university and employers. In his opening speech, President Francis Riccardione highlighted that the Employment Fair was a chance to say to the world that Egypt is an open market; he commented, “Egypt is the portal to the rest of the world.”
Commenting on their active participation in AUC’s employment fairs, Nevine Fattah, HR resourcing and employer brand - senior supervisor at Vodafone Egypt was recognized at the event, “We regularly come to the Employment Fair and partner with the career center because we know that AUCians have the best talents and they are motivated due to the variety of extracurricular activities they join.”
The honoring presence of Sir Magdi Yacoub added to the event’s highlights. Addressing the fair participants, he urged them to become fruitful citizens and active contributors to Egypt’s future and encouraged them to join or volunteer at ‘The Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation’s projects. Yacoub added, “It’s great for me to see all this youth with sparkling eyes who want to do something great. This is what Egypt needs.”
During the day, students flocked to the event, especially graduating seniors and alumni seeking job opportunities. “I came here looking for a full-time job because I am a graduating senior and I could talk about my graduation project in order to land a job. I also want to see what’s out there in the market,” said Maha Abdelrahman, who is a senior majoring in business administration. Nader Iskandar, who graduated last semester with a Bachelor of Management in Information and Communication Technology, also had high hopes for the fair. “It’s inspiring to see the different companies and find out what they are looking for and the list of companies coming for each major at the career center’s information booth is very useful and I recommend people to take advantage of this service,” Iskandar said.
Nevertheless, employers who attended the employment fair believe that AUC Students have something special that they would love to add to their companies. “We are coming here looking for AUC calibers and qualifications. We want qualified candidates who would lead our company forward,” said Mona Darwish, recruitment manager for Suez Canal Group. Yasmine Abdelkader, recruitment officer at CIB Egypt, added, “AUC students are different and think out of the box because they get exposed to a variety of experiences in activities and projects.”
Over the past 25 years, the career center has proven its mandate to sustain AUC students and alumni to get ready for the world of work. The employment fair has always been a major tool that helps lavish talented AUC calibers to valuable employers in Egypt and across the world. Moving forward with the career center to draw its vision more tangibly throughout the coming years to become “recognized as a reputable and leading career center in Egypt and the Middle East” as it had been the first university career center in the region.