Career Fair at º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Hosts 50 Local and International Companies
The º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ (º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½) held its fifth annual Career Fair organized by the Career Development & Recruitment Center on Tuesday and Wednesday 17 and 18 April with the participation of 50 local and international companies.
º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ graduates rank high on employability
Representatives at the fair expressed their interest in meeting students given that º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ interns and employees show great practical skills and competencies. Hiring and recruitment officers at the fair attributed their participation to the long-standing and consistent relations between º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ and their industries.
Boursa Kuwait
Talent Planning Senior Officer at Boursa Kuwait, Mohammad Ashkanani, asserted that being at º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Career Fair is a priority event for the company. “We look for energetic graduates who have advanced practical experience. º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ is one of the best universities in the region in preparing competent students as most of its graduates have a good understanding of Boursa Kuwait”.
Schlumberger
Ghazi Al Sharhan Regional Recruitment Manager at Schlumberger stressed on the importance they give to º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ events given the university’s strong presence and good reputation in the higher education sector. “We search for the best graduates, and º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ students are among the best in the region”, he said.
EQUATE
EQUATE representative at the fair, Dhari Al-Baghli, gave insight on the recruitment planning at the company saying they look to recruit ambitious youth especially industrial engineering and mechanical engineering graduates. Al-Baghli commended º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ graduates who are now employed at the company for the skills and the technical know-how they have upon joining the team.
Zain
Salwa Algabandi from Human Resources at Zain telecommunication said during the fair “we currently have a number of interns from º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½, and we usually hire a good percentage of º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ graduates in different departments. What distinguishes º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ graduates from other graduates in my opinion, is the great self-confidence and communication skills they have”.
Kuwait Oil Company
Administrative Affairs Manager at KOC, Ebtihal Al-Tourah explained during the event that KOC takes interest in career fairs as they are an opportunity to meet graduates and senior students and inform them of the vacancies at the company.
RSM Consulting
The company is always looking for competent graduates in accounting and financial auditing added Mohammed Etman, Recruitment Officer at RSM. “We believe that º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ students are well equipped in both functions and proof to that is our participation in the fair”, he said.
Burgan Bank
Soumaya Sabbagh, Recruitment Manager at Burgan Bank, applauded the sense of responsibility and commitment that º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ students have, as well as their enthusiasm to always learn something new.
Babtain Group
Group Recruitment Manager at Babtain Group, Sonar Al-Hajj, explained that º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ students have great skills and self-confidence. “We are happy to have them on board and to have good relations with º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ which continuously follows up with us to build successful relations with the private sector”, she confirmed.
Baker Hughes, a GE Company
“º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Career Fair is the only job career event we have participated in this year, and this is firm proof of our confidence in this university and the competence of its graduates,” said Amani Qishawi HR Business Partner at Baker Hughes.
VIVA
“Our participation in this fair is a priority given the caliber of graduates in human resources management we find at º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½”, Mohammad Al Shaiji, Talent Sourcing and Workforce Planning Manager said.
Al Ahli Bank
ABK Academy at Al Ahli Bank representatives noted the great turn out of students at the fair and the enthusiasm they show at the work place.
Kout Food Group
Kout Food Group were also present at the fair, Anitha Kidiyoor, Resourcing Manager said: “It is the third time we participate in º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Career Fair and this goes to show our confidence in the skills and employability of its graduates. We look forward to have them on board”.
º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Graduates represent private sector companies
The fair saw many º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ alumni take part as representatives of companies at the event. Hashel Al-Huwaishel, Associate Auditor – Assurance at EY is a graduate of Accounting from º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½. Al-Huwaishel introduced students to the vacancies at EY and answered questions on the required skills. “Our participation at the fair is to build a connection with soon to be graduates, especially that as º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ graduates we have proven ourselves in the job market. Now we hope to guide students so they can build a successful career path once they graduate,” he remarked.
Human Resources at VIVA, and º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ former students, Miriam Al Harbi and Asmaa ALasfour also attended the fair. Al Harbi, who holds an MBA from º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½, said she was happy to take part in the fair, adding that the extensive academic and student activities at º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ helped her build the needed skills and abilities in handling pressure at the work place.
Industrial Engineer at KOC Mezna AlShammari, also an º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ former student, spoke about the transition from the university to the job market. She added that the extensive training and project presentations during her years of study helped her outshine other job applicants and showcase great leadership skills and self-confidence.
Connecting graduates to the job market
Assistant Manager at the Career Development and Recruitment Center at º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½, Lolwa Albohamad, said the fair allows students and new graduates to explore job vacancies at local and international companies in Kuwait and puts them in direct contact with the hiring managers. Recruitment representatives also get a chance to know º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ students and their qualifications.
Year after year, the fair sees a greater number of companies and students that visit, she added. Companies from the oil, finance, industrial, contracting and other sectors are present at the Fair during which seminars on job opportunities and the job market are ongoing.
The goal of the Career Development and Recruitment Center is to build good relations with the job market and help fill the gap between academic curricula and actual market needs. This happens by understanding the job requirements at different companies and translating them into skills that graduates learn. The center seeks to support and assist students and graduates by preparing them to enter the job market through different workshops and information sessions. Leadership, communication, innovation, work ethics and entrepreneurship are few of many topics that students are exposed to during the academic year to help them build a successful career, Albohamad said.