Students clad in business attire gathered at NYU Abu Dhabi's Downtown Campus on the evening of September 22 for the annual Internship and Career Fair, organized by the University's Career Development Center (CDC). This year marked the first year that the Fair offered full-time job recruitment as well as internship opportunities. Thirty-six organizations were present with booths where students could speak with representatives, share their CVs, and discover new paths toward future careers.
The Fair received a vast audience from all year levels. Sophomore Rodrigo Ceballos saw the opportunity as an entrance to the professional world. "As a college student, it is very easy to submerge yourself in your social and academic life and forget that soon you will enter a world new to you — the professional world. Career fairs are important in this sense, because they expose students to the real world of employment so that they can be better prepared and know what to expect when they are applying for a position in the marketplace," he explained.
Senior Emily Eagen left the Fair contemplating the range of employment roles that would best suit her talents in creative writing and theater. "It certainly made me consider what alternative fields my writing and theatrical skills could be applied in if I was unable to get a job in my desired field right out of graduate school," she said.
Career fairs are important...they expose students to the real world of employment so that they can be better prepared and know what to expect when they are applying for a position in the marketplace.
Sophomore Massimiliano Valli attended the Fair as a representative for Gianni, Origoni, Grippo, Cappelli & Partners (GOP), an award-winning international business law firm. Valli has been working at the firm since May as a legal intern. "The GOP office in Abu Dhabi provides legal interns with a unique opportunity to work one on one with its lawyers on various issues ranging from the setting up of companies to commercial agreements," he said.
Approached by students with an interest in law and the legal profession, Valli answered questions concerning the responsibilities and tasks of a legal intern. "I believe that internships have become an essential component in a student's education," he said. "They allow students to explore careers, network, improve both work and life skills, and enter the job market. Furthermore, they provide passionate students with another avenue through which they can intellectually engage in topics that interest them."
From freshmen to seniors, students spent valuable time connecting with potential employers — including McKinsey & Co., Wolff Olins, Honeywell, Accenture ME, Abu Dhabi Film Festival, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, and Waha Capital — and broadening their perspectives on the professional world of work.
"The CDC is here to assist students in their career development, and networking skills are vital to a student's professional success," said Hazel Raja, director of the Career Development Center. "We set up these types of events to help facilitate and encourage more students to network. We also hope this event inspires students to look off campus for additional networking opportunities in Abu Dhabi and around the world."