Fantastic numbers at business career fair
Over 640 students descended on 32 employers who were offering up to 1,000 graduate roles or internships at the first Business and Economics Career Fair.
Student attendance was double that of any other business career fair held at AUT, and employer numbers jumped from 19 to 32.
From the moment the doors opened, employers were on their feet talking, discussing, encouraging and advising students.
Fonterra early careers recruitment partner Kate Findlay says Fonterra was at the career fair to find graduates with excellent soft skills.
“The only way to do this is to get to see students face to face and see how they interact.”
This was Fonterra’s first time at an AUT career fair, and Kate was pleased with the calibre and diversity of the students she spoke with.
“The career fair worked extremely well for us. It was busy and intense and there were a lot of good students coming through with great questions.”
NZME Recruitment and Employee Brand Lead Kylie Telford says NZME came to the fair to be at the forefront of graduates’ minds when looking for roles in media, as well as to educate students about the NZME and YUDU brands.
“We are looking for students who are agile, able to collaborate and communicate and are not afraid of rolling up their sleeves and mucking in.”
The Warehouse Group were also there to raise brand awareness. Senior recruitment partner Hayley Smith says they want to encourage students to see the great career options in the retail sector.
“And it works. We spoke to so many students, we were losing our voices. It’s been great.”
Tower Insurance HR consultant Vicki Wright says Tower Insurance wants to get word out to AUT students that Tower Insurance has a great workplace culture. She was one of three AUT graduates representing Tower Insurance at the fair.
“We are looking for graduates with qualifications from across the board, with all backgrounds and experience. Cultural fit is really important to us.”
Treasury graduate analyst Harrison Steiner-Fox says Treasury is looking for graduates with generalist degrees as well as specific economics and finance qualifications, looking for 20 internships and 15-18 graduate roles.
“We want people who come into our workplace from different backgrounds with different perspectives.”
Employers were delighted with the fair, impressed by the high numbers of students and their well-prepared questions.
“The event was just fantastic. There were some really switched on students asking informed questions,” says PwC One Firm Sourcing manager Lucy Padolsey.
Three more career fairs are scheduled throughout the year for students from other faculties.
Upcoming career fairs
- Culture & Society - Thursday 12 April
- ICT & Engineering - Wednesday 25 July
- Hospitality, Tourism, Education, Culinary Arts - Wednesday 15 August
Email autemploy@aut.ac.nz to find out more about career fairs or other employability events.
