AUN Organises Career Fair For Alumni
Recently, the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre Abuja was filled to the brim as authorities of American University of Nigeria (AUN), Adamawa State, organised a career fair for her alumni.
The event which holds yearly had hundreds of alumni of the institution in attendance.
Mrs Grace Nwokoma, the institution’s Director of Career Services explained that a university should go beyond granting graduates degrees. According to her, it should also take pride in helping them to chart career paths, make choices, and prepare them for careers.
She submitted that this ideal informed AUN’s career service as well as the annual Career Fair, the seventh of such fair since the university began some 10 years ago.
The 2014 Career Fair, took place on March 18 and 19 and was adjudged the best since the programme started some years ago. In addition to participation in the Fair, six multinationals, took turns to administer standard aptitude and problem-solving tests to AUN students, alumni, and other prospects. Those who scale the hurdles at the end of the day will get places as employees or interns.
Another distinguishing feature of this year’s Fair was the inclusion of an alumni networking reception ,bringing together all participants to socialize in a more relaxed setting. This gathering was the brainchild of the AUN Alumni Association led by Verse Shom, Class Speaker of the University’s pioneer students and current Associate Director of Admissions.
Thirty-nine multinational companies took up stands. They included Price WaterhouseCoopers, Airtel, Exxon Mobil, Egypt Air, British American Tobacco, Main One, and Nadabo Energy. Others are L5lab, Nigeria Bottling Company, Education USA, General Electric International, Richfield Technologies Ltd, Voice of Nigeria, Teasy Mobile, the American University of Nigeria HR and Graduate School teams, Red Star Express, Nigerian Television Authority, Jumia, and Berger Paints.
These also fielded representatives: Sci-fie Ltd, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Stallion Group, Newage Network, KISS FM, APTECH Computer, Skye Bank, Yola Electricity Distribution Company, PZ Cussons, Nestle, and Quanteq. The organizations combining the normal fair with aptitude tests included Dangote Cement, McKinsey & Company (which tests AUN students and alums every year), Proctor & Gamble, NIPCO, KPMG, Deloitte, Intels (Nigeria) Ltd, and Leadership newspaper whose publisher, Sam Ndah-Isaiah, took a major speaking opportunity at the March 18th evening reception. On Day 1 of the Fair, NIPCO and Deloitte each administered a two-hour test on about 50 participating students and alums, while others hosted their tests the following day.
Before the Fair proper, the Career Services Office had held résumé writing workshops and mock interviews for participants, while scouting for and maintaining close liaison with interested companies.
Head of representatives of Deloitte, Mr Dekunle Adekola told Abuja Metro that his company participated in the fair because “we want to catch this part of the world. We want every tribe to be represented. AUN has students from diverse backgrounds. We want the best, and we know that the school has good products. We have participated in career fair in other schools”
Mr John Okpeku of NIPCO remarked that: “We used the fair to get the best. We conducted aptitude test for the students. At the end of the exercise we will select the best among those that participated in the test.
“It is the first time NIPCO would participate in the career fair. I am happy that we participated because it has opened our eyes to what this school can produce.”
Similar commendation came from Mr Gbenga Olufeyi of PZ who described the fair as a “great initiative.” He said “we are an international organisation, so we want key talents to run our business in the few years. One of our core values is courage. We have taken a bold step to recruit talents. We have been doing this with universities but we are particularly happy with what we saw at AUN career fair.”
Nwokoma told newsmen that the Fair is a unique networking opportunity for employers and potential employees. AUN students from second to final years, she explained are free to attend. While some graduating seniors explore job opportunities, others seek internship openings in order to gain the experience required for future jobs. Graduating seniors also use the Fair to size up their prospective career fields.
She said, “It is a platform for students and alums to connect with companies, business leaders, government agencies, captains of industry, and diplomatic missions throughout Nigeria, to explore internship and employment opportunities.”
Nwokoma noted that the choice of Abuja for this year’s Fair is for the comfort of much of corporate Nigeria. In the past, AUN has held career fairs in Lagos, the nation’s commercial capital, and Yola.
Giving insight into the programme Shom said, “We believe that this event will better expose corporate representatives to the next generation of Nigeria’s stars and industry leaders. The AUN alumni comprises highly talented, smart, and enterprising young individuals who are self-motivated and goal-oriented.”
More than a hundred of them signed up and attended the Fair. Those who could not make it on the first day came in on the second day and waited the long hours from 8 o’clock to about 5 when Dangote Cement was through with the last turn for the tests.
“The availability of jobs – for young people – has become a central topic of global concern.” The reception was aimed at bringing together recruiters, corporate representatives, diplomats and AUN alumni in a more relaxed and informal atmosphere that allowed for ideas exchange and socialization.
Source: Sun Newspaper
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