NYU Shanghai putting careers fair online

Shanghai New York University has moved its spring careers fair online as the COVID-19 epidemic had shut down its campus.

The university’s career development center said the annual physical event for students to find summer internships and their first jobs had to be canceled, but an online version was launched on March 16.

Sixty employers, including Huawei, PwC, Apple, HSBC, Deloitte, Unilever and Jardines, have already posted about 150 positions online, with 148 students registered by Monday.

“The online event will be larger than the offline fair,” said Ma Manru, the center’s employer engagement and communication coordinator. “The physical fair lasts only half a day with about 60 employers, but we expect that the online fair will attract 100 employers and will run till the end of the semester, making it the largest-scale careers fair as well as the longest. Students and employers, including those who are not based in Shanghai, are free to participate at any point.”

Ma said it was the first time the university had hosted a job fair open to all students from the New York University community, including those in New York and Abu Dhabi.

She said the platform allows students to see employers’ recruitment plans and submit resumes, but it can’t support live chat or video interviews currently.

“But employers can contact students via the information left on their resumes to arrange interviews,” Ma said.

The center will also update jobs weekly along with recruitment trends and industry reports, she added.

Meanwhile, the center has launched a program to invite distinguished alumni to deliver speeches on diversified career topics.

“We carried out a survey among our students, who now study for eight to 10 hours a day online, and they said they are most interested in sharing by alumni,” said Tang Ji, the center’s external relations manager.

The university had one such event each semester previously, but two were organized last week and another two will be held later this semester, Tang said. The first one was themed “Finding Certainty During Uncertainty” and the second was about the Internet industry. The third one, scheduled for April, will focus on the art and design industry while a fourth will be about preparation for the workplace.

Tang said the offline sharing program used to attract about 30 students each time due to space limit while the first online version attracted 75.

“During this special period, we will continue to offer assistance for students in career development," said Tang. "We've reached out to students on a one-to-one basis to learn their needs and provide services accordingly. We will collaborate with employers, alumni and other universities to provide a wide range of information and opportunities for them."