Jan. 30, 2019

Faculty of Arts students reveal diverse skills at reverse career fair

Participants highlight their degree skills, work and volunteer experiences to employers and visitors
Twenty-four University of Calgary students from various programs of study presented on their career interests and transferrable skills obtained from their course of study, Study Abroad, campus involvement and work experiences. Photos by Riley Brandt, University of Calgary
Twenty-four University of Calgary students from various programs of study presented on their career

For the second year in a row, the Arts Co-op team organized Discover Arts, a reverse career fair providing students with a platform to showcase the diverse skill sets they can bring to the workplace.

Twenty-four students from various programs of study presented in two-hour shifts using display posters to communicate their career interests and transferrable skills obtained from their course of study, Study Abroad, campus involvement and work experiences.

To ensure students’ hard work got the recognition it deserved and to maximize the event’s success, Discover Arts coincided with the Winter Career Fair. The Hunter Hub was strategically chosen as the location to encourage employers who were already on campus for the fair to drop by at their convenience. Soft and hard copies of participants’ resumes were shared with employers.

A student showcases her work.

A student showcases her skills chart.

The event aimed to provide one-on-one interaction between students and employers, so they could exchange ideas and inform each other of their perspectives.

One of the student participants, Janaya Fischer, who is currently in the second year of International Relations, said she found the interaction with employers very helpful as she learned about their perspectives and how she could effectively present her skills to speak to employers’ needs.

This style of career fair has been appreciated by students and supported by employers and the Faculty of Arts looks forward to organizing it on even a larger scale next time so more students can take advantage of this rare opportunity.