Texas A&M at Qatar brings together job-seeking students and industry representatives
Published Nov 26, 2017Seventy-five Texas A&M at Qatar students and 25 former students met with more than 65 representatives from 40 businesses and companies in the region about internship and employment opportunities during the Career Networking Night at the Texas A&M Engineering Building in Education City, Doha, Qatar.
The event was sponsored by Dolphin Energy and organized by the Student Engineers’ Council (SEC) at Texas A&M at Qatar in cooperation with the Office of Development, Engagement and Outreach. SEC provides professional development opportunities and avenues for career advancement for students.
“As a representative of the SEC, I think it’s great that such activities are highly supported by the career services office and companies such as Dolphin Energy who understand the importance of building connections in and out of the workplace, which is different than a typical career fair setup,” said SEC president Saadat Khan.
The event began with the dean of Texas A&M at Qatar, Dr. César O. Malavé, emphasizing the history of Aggies already making an impact in Qatar and how Aggie engineers are great, well-rounded students who are assets to organizations.
“I often hear from industry that they like to recruit graduates from Texas A&M at Qatar because our students are ready to hit the ground running when they leave university and join the workforce,” Malavé said. “I hope that those of you here tonight from industry are impressed with the caliber of our students and I hope that all of our students make connections tonight that will serve them well as they begin their careers.”
The career services coordinator at Texas A&M at Qatar Sarah Aboulhosn stressed the necessity of such events to help students transition from the classroom to the workplace.
“I appreciate the company representatives who take the time to come to campus and speak to our students about potential opportunities,” Aboulhosn said. “Internships are such an important learning opportunity for students and a requirement for a good number of them. Such experiences allow students to implement the technical knowledge and skills learned in the classroom, as well as experience the professional environment of the workplace. I believe this is imperative in making their future transition from student to professional a smoother one.”
Preparing for the event itself required Aboulhosn to coach students on multiple fronts.
“Students are very mindful of making a good first impression and we work hard to create attractive résumés that highlight their education and various skills,” she said. “We also conducted workshops and preparation sessions for students leading up to this event, including perfecting their elevator pitch, picking out a professional outfit, researching attending companies and understanding their own career path interests.”
Khan said, “The networking event is a great opportunity for students and employers to come together, interact and talk about the ‘real world.’ As students, we sort of live in a bubble of theory and it is always interesting to see where those theories are being applied.”