Over the years, Career Services Section of the Hong Kong Shue Yan University (HKSYU) has been organizing career fairs, seminars and workshops in order to improve students’ vocational skills and boost their employment opportunities. Mr. IP Pui Lam, Head of Career Services Section, Office of Student Affairs (OSA), indicates that in the coming academic year, career fair will continue to be held in both face-to-face and online mode. Also, they will keep up with industry trends and hold more workshops on applications of design softwares.
Mr. IP explains that each year, at the career fair held at the University, employers, professional bodies, companies and government departments are invited to set up booths. Being affected by the pandemic, career fairs in 2020 and 2021 were held online. However, the participation rate of employers did not drop. There were 106 participating organizations in March 2021 which is a new record. Their responses to the arrangement of the career fair and students’ reactions were also generally positive.
“Both face-to-face and online career fairs have their own forte. For the former, employers and students can have in-depth face-to-face interactions through on-site communication and interviews; for the latter, students can participate online without geographical restrictions,” Mr. IP continues.
Apart from the career fair, Career Services Section also organizes seminars to familiarize students with different industries. A total of 35 recruitment seminars were held last year, covering government, finance, accounting, property management, retail, new media, education, social welfare, culture, and other industries.
Mr. IP says that in the coming academic year, Career Services Section will continue to hold an array of workshops to raise students’ vocational abilities, like application of workplace software, business etiquette, workplace communication skills, etc. Workshops related to job interviews, writing resumes and cover letters, preparation for Common Recruitment Examination (CRE), and preparation for IELTS, etc. will be held. Because of the pandemic, some workshops in the past have been recorded with the consent of speakers and uploaded to the internet for the benefit of students. In the coming days, Career Services Section looks forward to organizing workshops on application of design software, such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, so as to satisfy market needs.
Mr. IP further indicates that work of Career Services Section includes handling non-credit-bearing summer internships, giving career advice, providing one-on-one online or face-to-face consultation on resume and cover letter writing, managing and updating information on Career Services Website and Job Portal, etc.
Mr. IP suggests that students should not be limited by the subjects they are studying. They should try to explore different industries, participate in overseas and mainland internship programs, and broaden their horizons. Students should regularly pay more attention to the news on the website of Career Services Section (https://osa.hksyu.edu/career/).
Source：50th Anniversary Special Issue