It’s that time of year again, when students start their search for a summer job and new grads-to-be start their search for full-time work after graduation.
It’s also when the college’s annual career networking fair is held. This year on Feb. 10 was the 17th in a row, attracting 63 employers total. The fair was open to current students and alumni.
Archit Bhatia is one of many students who has prioritized the search for summer employment.
“I’ve applied to co-op and several other jobs so far,” said Bhatia, a second-year computer science student. “I just hope I get a call back because I have to pay for school next year.”
Bhatia faces an even greater challenge than most students. He is an international student from India and therefore his tuition fees are higher than the average student.
But he has an advantage as an Algonquin student.
“We love working with Algonquin students,” said Lee Wallace, a representative at the fair with Hydro Ottawa. “They’re very well prepared, determined, enjoyable and eager students.”
Other employers agreed.
“We haven’t been to the fair in a few years,” said Nick Tierney, a representative with i-Sight, which is a software company in Ottawa. “Algonquin students have a lot of talent and we’ve had successful hires from the college in past years so we thought we’d come back and keep looking.”
And Employment Services at the college has the data to prove Algonquin students’ success.
Last year’s fair generated a 93 per cent satisfaction rate among employers who attended the fair and hired student candidates from the college.
“We receive common feedback from the employers every year,” said Jennifer Jarvis, employment outreach officer with Algonquin’s Employment Services.
“Students need to be aware of their professional communication, mostly through emails, and they need to be aware of their presence on social media.”
Those tips are especially important for tech-savvy students looking to break into the workforce, like Bhatia.
He visited several booths on Feb. 10, most of which were technology oriented companies looking for new hires. He is really keen on finding a job that deals with computers.
“I’m interested in computers, software and programming so it’s important for me to find a job in my field so I can get the experience,” said Bhatia.