DHAHRAN: Graduating university students from the Eastern Province and other parts of the Kingdom will have a chance to look for job opportunities offered by government agencies and leading private companies at the three-day 28th Career Day which opened at the King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) here, Sunday. The Career Day, held annually by KFUPM, is participated by government agencies and leading national and international companies. Participating companies include Saudi Aramco, the affiliate companies of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), Saudi Electricity Companies, Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Saudi Railway Organization, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority's Economic Cities, national electricity and water companies, leading private industrial companies, banks and investment houses, international accounting companies, foreign oil, gas and petrochemical companies, local and foreign construction companies, security firms, and other corporate groups. This year's Career Day focuses on directing university students and graduates on courses and profession they are most proficient and likely to succeed, according to Wali Hadadi, KFUPM Director of the Alumni. “What we are emphasizing this time is that students should be led and coached to career they are mostly to succeed because most often some students enroll in courses they will later on abandon and shift to another course thereby wasting their time and resources,” Hadadi said. He said the Career Day empowers graduates seeking jobs to select the company that could offer them what they expect in terms of compensation, package of incentives, and training. “We encourage graduates to be career-driven, which means that they have to go through the ladder of success until they reach the top,” Hadadi said. The Career Day is a platform that provides yearly job opportunities for university graduates, provide training opportunities for university students in the cooperative program and summer training, provide an opportunity for employers to interview graduates, define the university courses, educate students for the future career, provide an opportunity for employers to familiarize students with their corporate activities. Besides, it establishes cooperative partnership based on closer ties between the university and work, and create awareness of students of the job market. The event also educates and teaches students how to find job opportunities, write effective job applications, and conduct interviews with prospective employers. Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd, Emir of the Eastern Province, patronized and formally opened the Career Day. KFUPM President, Dr. Khalid S. Al-Sultan, assisted the Emir in inaugurating the event. Some 150 local, regional and international companies are taking part in the four-day event, which is visited by students from all over the Kingdom and some from neighboring states like Bahrain and Kuwait.
