AUC’s 71st Employment Fair: Back On Campus!

November 5, 2022, witnessed the first comeback on-campus at The American University in Cairo's (AUC) Employment Fair, after two years of online fairs. This event was the 71st Employment Fair hosting 88 on-ground booths of national, regional and international employers. Bringing the event back to its face-to-face mode was particularly important as it revived AUC’s traditions of having the fair as an on-ground experience where students and employers meet, interact and engage in a real setting. Everyone, from students, alumni, and employers to Career Center organizers, President Dallal and Provost Abdel-Rahman, was excited and appreciated the moment.

The fair began with the opening speech of AUC Career Center Executive Director, Dalia Awad, who expressed delight at the return of the fair as an on-ground experience. “We are being active participants in helping our environment.” These were the words that Awad ended her speech with after explaining this year’s fair shift from having a printed guide for AUCians to having an online “e-Booklet”, which is more sustainable for our planet. Following this, President Ahmed Dallal took part in the opening speech by accentuating the importance of the fair to AUC students and alumni, “We really are keen on providing the right kind of training to our students. We are keen on helping our students and alumni engage with the employer market, and we are keen on serving this employer market and the emerging needs of Egypt and the region.” Finally, Maha El Moslemany, AUC Career Center employer relations director, ended the opening speech by giving special thanks to the partners who helped put the employment fair together, including Orascom as a diamond sponsor, and platinum sponsors, namely Beity, CIB, Exxon Mobil, Mars, Orange Egypt, Paymob and VOIS.

Several employers were excited to be a part of the AUC Employment Fair on-ground experience. “It feels amazing to be here, and it is definitely nice to be back. We were extremely grateful that we did not lose touch with AUC candidates during COVID-19, but of course, we are very happy to be back and be able to meet them face to face. It is a privilege,” explained Heba Hisham, HR Director at L’Oreal Egypt. Employers also highlighted how they thought of AUC graduates and alumni as the best job candidates where Amina Karem, Man Power Planning Manager at Orascom, added: “Orascom is a leading company, and we always look for the best of the best; this is why we came to AUC.” The fair was also an opportunity for both fresh graduates and alumni with experience to find jobs. Mariam, Talent Acquisition Lead Head at L’Oreal Egypt, elaborated on this, “We look for talents. It does not have to do with experience; it has to do with the person’s personality; we look for people with agility/passion. We have options for fresh grads and people with experience.” Omar Nour, HR Lead, CIB Egypt, emphasized the difference between the virtual and physical employment fairs, “If the Virtual Employment Fair is more accessible to people, the on-ground fair edge is the human interaction which helps people to communicate and network.”

In addition, having 88 employers representing a wide variety of industries, keeps it beneficial for AUC students and alumni to make the most out of the fair. Rita Shaheer, an integrated marketing communications (IMC) graduate, mentioned, “It is very engaging and dynamic. They have so many corporates that I can apply to as AUC alumni.” Ali, a current computer science student, also added, “I applied to so many companies. I think that the employment fair is a great opportunity to make connections and enhance my resume through internships.” Some alumni, like Laila Yunis, who is, in fact, now the talent acquisition manager at Mars, expressed pride at this year’s fair, “I was an AUCian. I feel like I am at home. I am extremely happy and proud that I am an AUC alumna giving back to my university and the company I currently work at.”

Overall, this year’s fair was definitely a success, where both students and employers were respectively given opportunities to hunt for jobs and find talented, well-rounded job candidates that can advance in different fields. This year’s employment fair is yet another edition of the many successful employment fairs that have taken place at AUC.