CAIRO: The office of Career Advising and Placement Services (CAPS) at the American University in Cairo (AUC) held its third annual Career Conference offering senior students the opportunity to network with members of the corporate community and exchange career related information that would equip them with the necessary tools for their career planning and job search process as they approach their graduation. The conference was held from Thursday, March 11 until Saturday, March 13 at the Fairmont Towers Hotel. In his address to attendees at the conference's opening reception, AUC President David Arnold highlighted the fact that the Career Conference enables and empowers students to set their initial goals, while assuring students that the CAPS office at AUC "offers them a life-time support warranty. On the other hand, Ashraf El Fiqi, vice president for Student Affairs stressed the idea that academic studies do not necessarily dictate future careers; he also added that "The career conference takes students from deciding about their career to joining the career. The keynote speaker Ziad Bahaa Eldin, chairman of the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority, addressed the participating senior students at the conference. In his speech, Bahaa Eldin reflected on his own career path and how he changed careers several times, he encouraged AUC students to venture into public sector careers and not to shy away from them, and praised AUC students' for having strong problem solving skills and said this is what distinguishes them from graduates of other universities not their language skills only. Over the following two days over 120 senior students had the chance to choose between 16 different concurrent sessions, conducted by corporate professionals, focusing on four main areas: personal development, career planning and exploration, job search strategies, and first year career issues. Topics included: "Leadership on the job, "Entrepreneurship, "Mock Interview Simulation, "Business Etiquette, and a lot more. According to Maha Fakhry, CAPS recruitment services director, "the sessions' speakers are seasoned business professionals with vast experience in various areas of expertise. We had professionals flying from Geneva and Dubai coming especially to work with our senior class and give them valuable tips on their transition to the world of work. Participating students found that exceptionally beneficial, "the conference was very well organized and useful. The presenters were very informative; they gave me all their experience in a few hours and helped me better understand the shift I am about to have in my life as I am graduating next semester, Ahmed Abd El-Aal, mechanical engineering senior, said. Corporate professionals also regarded the event as being very useful. Amira Abulmagd, publisher and managing director of Dar El Shorouk - who gave a session titled "Your Academic Major Does Not Dictate Your Career: Widen Your Horizons - praised the idea of holding a career conference and saw it as beneficial to the students' transition to the working world. The Career Conference is one of the many services offered by CAPS at AUC. Established in 1991, CAPS is the first university career center in the region that started providing a comprehensive career and recruitment services program to students, alumni and employers. It educates students and alumni for life-long career planning. Assistance is provided in identifying career objectives, designing and implementing job search strategies, as well as exploring experiential learning, employment and post-graduate opportunities. -Daily News Egypt
