They say that success doesn’t come to you, you go to it. It might be true, but this year the International Faculty Association ACE decided to spare you the fatigue and bring to you the most well-known and prominent organisations and businesses, showcasing different jobs for the three departments within Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication. Every year the faculty association organises the ‘Career Days’ – a 3-day event in which the association brings students in contact with various companies and organisations and tries to broaden the students’ awareness of their future professional or academic careers, as well as broaden their knowledge about the various available companies, that could one day provide them with the job/internship of their dreams. Just in case you missed this amazing opportunity, here’s a short summary of this year’s ACE Career Days.
The official opening of the Career Days took place on Monday, 5th of January at restaurant Siena on campus, where Mr Fer de Jong Jongert (the developer of the concept Better Together) shared a few dos and don’ts when being interviewed by a potential employer. First of all, present your better self and stay strongly connected to yourself (by being confident and trusting yourself you will make the employer trust you as well). At the same time, avoid presenting yourself as the best catch the organisation needs – be courageous in telling the employer what your strengths and weaknesses are. Dress accordingly to the organisation you’re presenting to, and last but not least – have a good handshake.
Day one started with a few very interesting and helpful workshops. One of these was Job interview training and LinkedIn workshop – held by Mrs Masuma Shadid (LinkedIn Trainer and University Lecturer) who explained how to create a good online profile and make it your marketing document that will sell you. Here are some tips that Mrs Shadid shared with us:
- Add a profile picture (profiles with profile pictures are viewed 20 times more).
- Edit your headline by adding your location and/or the potential position you would be suitable for.
- Have a creative summary – it will grab the attention of the reader and make him/her spend more time on your profile.
- Mention your skills.
- Connections. Make your network work for you.
Day two was all about companies operating in very diverse fields like ‘Abroad Internships’, a company which helps you land the best internship in not only Europe, but also in Australia or more exotic places like Hawaii; ‘Viacom’, the multinational media conglomerate which focuses mainly on cable television; ‘360 Magazine’, which filters the news from all over the world, giving the Dutch audience news not only from the inside but also from the outside; and ‘Nationaal archief’, the place where all the important information about the Dutch government is kept. In short, each of these companies gave a glimpse of what it would be like and what to expect if one were to work for them.
Whether your dream is to become a blogger, organise events or work in foreign affairs, day three and last day of Career Days might have touched upon all of these fields with organisations like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, organisations known for electronic music festivals like ID&T and FITGIRLCODE – a worldwide community of fit and healthy women who started as a small Instagram account. The successful event ended with a networking drink where students got to get in contact with all the present companies and organisations and express their interest in a possible future job position.
Despite the limited amount of tickets available, the interfaculty association and (most importantly) the Career Committee has done an amazing job in organizing such a useful and engaging event and I hope more people will have the chance (and desire) to attend next year’s ACE Career Days. Until then, do not forget to follow them on Facebook @careerdayserasmus and Instagram @acecareerdays to keep up to date on the upcoming in-house days.