AURAK Career Week highlights emerging job hunt trends and new career opportunities

Twenty-three companies and organisations participated in the Career Week of the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) held recently on campus, as recent graduates and alumni networked with recruiters and got an opportunity to hear from industry and HR experts on new recruiting trends.

The Career Week, organized by the Alumni and Career Services Department at AURAK, began with a series of career related discussions featuring expert panels, and culminated in a career fair where recruiters showcased career opportunities for the university’s graduates and alumni.

The key focus areas of the Career Week included Tourism and Hospitality, Engineering, Architecture and Interior Design, Real Estate, Education, IT and AI, Event Management, Business, and Social Impact enterprises.

 Dr. David A. Schmidt, President of AURAK, said: “The Career Week witnessed a remarkable turnout of recruiters, providing our graduates and alumni an ideal platform to explore career opportunities under one roof. A university’s success is measured by the calibre of its graduates, and I am sure many of the participating companies found our students and alumni to be of the highest calibre. The level of discussions on emerging trends in job hunting was very high and our students gained great insights into new workplace dynamics.”

Prof. Stephen C. Wilhite, AURAK’s Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Success/Provost, said: “The Career Week was planned to bring into focus the changing landscape of today’s job market. Our objective was to expose our graduates to the complex nuances of job hunting through panel discussions featuring experts from HR and diverse industries. Coupled with face-to-face interactions with recruiters, the event provided graduates with a great head start to their job search.”

The Career Week’s schedule of expert forums featured the following: a Tourism Industry Expert Panel, a HR Industry Experts Panel, a session on ‘Finding a Job is a Job’ and a LinkedIn Session. Speakers provided practical tips on how to navigate the complexities of the job search and gave detailed analyses of the changed mindset of HR professionals when it comes to selecting applications and choosing candidates.

Among the major participating companies were Anantara Mina Al Arab, Artech Interior Design, Bin Majid Hotels and Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton Resort & Spa Marjan Island, English World Training Centre, Hampton by Hilton Marjan Island, InterContinental Ras Al Khaimah, IT Valley, Marjan, Movenpick Resort Al Marjan Island , Option 1 Event Services LLC, Radisson Resort Ras Al Khaimah, RAK Ports, Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ), Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), Ritz Carlton, Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research (Al Qasimi Foundation), Sofitel Al Hamra Beach Resort, Stevin Rock, SYWA AI, The Fifth Element Academy and Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah

The Career Week’s main sponsors were Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), Citi Foundation and Education for Employment.