Loyola Schools Office of Placement and Career Services Holds Very First Ateneo Virtual Career Fair
The Loyola Schools Office of Placement and Career Services (LSOPCS) reimagines the way we do career fairs through an innovative virtual reality setup and the help of Ateneo’s alliance of partner companies.
The Loyola Schools Office of Placement and Career Services (LSOPCS), in partnership with Accenture, held the two-day “Ateneo Virtual Career Fair 2021: Access to Your Future” last April 15 to 16, 2021.
The LSOPCS collaborated with Hexafair, the IT Resource Management Office (ITRMO) of the university, the University Marketing and Communications Office (UMCO), and 58 companies to give the students a feel of an actual career fair through a virtual simulation of the event similar to the game The Sims. Doing away with the usual setup of booths along the Red Brick Road (which was commonly done in previous years), the Ateneo career fair ensured the health and safety of all the stakeholders given the ongoing pandemic.
With the goal of providing Atenean undergraduates an opportunity to connect with employers and gain access to various employment and internship opportunities amidst the pandemic, the very first virtual version of the annual career fair was launched through Hexafair, a virtual event platform.
“The participants were all given the chance to interact with companies similar to a first-person video game so that Ateneans could feel that they were in an actual event. There was a virtual event hall as well as virtual booths, posters, brochures, and job openings. There were also avatars for each company that each student could chat with. Videos were also made available for the students to get more information about each company,” said Zauriel Tan, President of the Executive Committee of the LSOPCS.
The Career Fair hosted 1,200 Ateneans and generated positive feedback from participants. “The virtual platform is a refreshing take on online events as it goes beyond the typical call or webinar setup. I enjoyed exploring the virtual environment because it felt like I was in a game. Now that it’s been a few weeks since the Career Fair, I’m hearing back from the companies I applied for and moving forward with the different recruitment processes. I’m hoping to get employed soon,” said a fourth year AB Psychology student.
“The career fair reminded me not to lose hope despite the pandemic’s negative effects on the job market. It was reassuring to know that there is still an assortment of opportunities out there for us students! For me, the highlight of this two-day event was the fun feature that allowed us students to interact with company representatives,” said Audrey Soon, a fourth year BS Management student.
Students who were interested in applying for internships also took the opportunity to attend the career fair. “The event made the process of looking into available internships more convenient and reassuring. Regardless of one’s year level, the career fair was a worthwhile experience to at least get a feel of what the job market is like and what kind of opportunities there are,” said Anne Dorene Chua, a third year BS Management student.
Ronald Rodriguez, Director of LSOPCS, shared what made the pioneer virtual career fair a success. “We are really grateful for the help of ITRMO, UMCO, Hexafair, the Executive Committee, and the volunteers. With their assistance, the event was made possible despite the limitations imposed upon us because of the pandemic.”
To further guide Ateneans in their career options, the LSOPCS is also running other programs such as the Ateneo Placement Exposure series (APEx) and General Orientation on Transitioning to Work (GOT Work). The APEx series includes networking with various companies, government, and non-government offices, while the GOT Work program involves career talks and webinars with Atenean alumni representing the various Loyola Schools.
The LSOPCS also published the 2021 issue of the New Directions magazine. This contains a complete company index, job survey data from Batch 2019 students that may prove to be useful for graduating students, as well as the latest insights on job hunting amidst the pandemic.
The online version of the 2021 issue of the annual career fair magazine can be accessed through this link.
Click here to view the Ateneo Virtual Career Fair 2021: Access to Your Future two-minute tour. For more information on future LSOPC initiatives, visit the Loyola Schools Office of Placement and Career Services Facebook page.
Photos and video courtesy of the Loyola Schools Office of Placement and Career Services
For more news and stories on Loyola Schools, visit http://www.ateneo.edu/ls/loyola-schools-bulletin.
