Career Fair @ USM, Penang

Last weekend, I attended this event organised by TalentCorp Malaysia, held at University Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang. I was invited to this event called "Sector Focused Career Fair – Career Awareness" and was asked to blog about it. To be perfectly honest, I have never attended such an event before and this would mark my first ever experience. (*excited*)

Because it was held in USM, I thought to myself, why not give it a go? Since I've always wanted to visit the USM campus and get a feel of how campus life is like. Yes, it maybe overdue by several years, but, hey, at least now I can say I have been on campus grounds... hehe
So, here I was finding my way through USM campus to look for the venue of the event which was held at Dewan Utama Pelajar, USM. It would have been helpful if there were arrows pointing towards the venue, had I not known it was just right after the entrance of the USM gate (facing Khaleel Nasi Kandar). Thankfully, there were many university students that I stopped and asked around for directions, only to end up right at the very gates I entered.

Anyhow, I managed to park my car and immediately saw Dewan Utama Pelajar infront of me.

Dewan Utama Pelajar



SFCF banner


 At the entrance, there was a registration booth with many keen university students eager to see what the fair had to offer.

Registration booth

Officially stamped! :)

 

 I was surprised at the number of participating booths all focused on educating, exposing and helping university students find employment. The various booths are as in the pictures that I (shamelessly) managed to take. There were a good mixture of various companies from different backgrounds offering a variety of job opportunities, from the engineering sector, to the business sector, to the medical sector. Variety in abundance!

 

 

 Although many of those who visit the fair are undergraduates who are about to graduate or who were just curious about the 'working world', I feel that through this career fair, they were able to be exposed to the various employment opportunities available. They were also able to ask burning questions on the means and ways to apply for their dream jobs. And these questions were posed directly to the desired company that the undergraduate/graduate wishes to apply for. Yes, straight from the horses' mouth. Isn't this great? Students are now able to re-focus on their dream jobs and set target goals towards attaining the required qualifications and merits to be considered a job at their dream company.

Penang Career Assistance and Talent Cen

Amongst the many booths, I also came across this one called Penang Career Assistance and Talent Centre. According to the lady at the booth, they provide assistance to job seekers with employment opportunities in Penang. They also help match the young graduate's qualifications with the available jobs. Further information can be sought at http://penangcatcentre.my/index.aspx 

For me, the highlight of the career fair was the Career Talk that was held on the upper floor of the Main student's hall (Dewan utama pelajar).  It was a talk given by a speaker from IRDA (Iskandar Regional Development Authority). Amongst the many things he touched-on was the tips of getting hired after graduation, how to present one's self during a job interview and what companies are looking for in hiring graduates.

 

 There was also a Q&A session after the talk where a student asked a very good and relevant question about company criteria in choosing their best candidates for employment; whether or not working experience is an added advantage.

To me, in this day and age, competition is stiff. Any working experience goes a long way; certainly an advantage over a candidate with zero experience. In view of that, the speaker suggested a brilliant idea, one which has been practised often. He suggested that students apply for internships at the type of companies that the student wishes to work in, thereby gaining 'work experience'.

Students asking questions during the Q&A session

Loved the idea of a bean-bag sitting area at the back of the hall :)

This career fair has opened my eyes to the fact that there is a lot of talent in Malaysia, with equal opportunities of employment. And with the proper guidance and education, our future generation of students will be able to graduate and secure employment at the companies of their choice.

 

 Undergraduates and young graduates these days are so lucky that there are bodies like TalentCorp Malaysia in existence to help create an avenue for students to be exposed to the various employment sectors available. What do you think? Comments are welcomed :)

 

More information and updates on future career fairs can be found at https://www.facebook.com/SectorFocusedCareerFairSFCF

 

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.