Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is hiring more human resources (HR) specialists from specific industries to provide personalised career training and advice to their students.
By the start of the new academic year in August 2016, 17 career coaches will be available to all NTU students for consultations. This was announced on Tuesday (Jan 26) at the opening of the three-day annual NTU Career Fair 2016, which saw a record 232 organisations offering 4,200 jobs.
By 2018, the career coaches and consultants team will grow to a group of 24, said the university.
Graduating Mechanical Engineering student, Tan Hui Quan, is among those who have benefited from the career training.
Now two weeks into a new job at Procter & Gamble, she said undergoing just one session of job coaching helped her prepare for the job interview. “I definitely feel a little more confident after the job coaching because it’s really prepped me to know what’s going to happen for the interview process.”
She added: “The job coaching actually helps you to mentally prepare yourself (for) the questions to expect as well as the organisation fit to see if you really fit into the company cultures and values and beliefs.”
Director of the Career and Attachment Office at NTU, Mr Loh Pui Wah, said: “Having our career coaches, the investment into the career services, allows the students to have more informed choices, better preparedness for the students so that when they go for the job interviews, they are better prepared, they are more confident.”
NEW PORTAL TO EXPLORE JOB OPPORTUNITIES
The fair also saw the launch of the NextGen Careers portal, where students can explore new industries through a series of videos and online resources. This includes shared experiences from alumni who have been in those industries.
More than 3,400 employers are providing information and listing job openings on the portal. To apply, students can upload their resumes or curriculum vitae onto the portal, and send an application directly to participating companies.
The NextGen Careers portal also offers information on career pathways in 18 industries, such as engineering and manufacturing.
Mr Loh said: “In the early years, the jobs are quite limited to press and newspapers. But nowadays, students have got various avenues in terms of approaching jobs.
“What we want is to network and link up with the employers. Whatever platforms the employer wants to be (on), NTU is able to accommodate the employers to reach the target student and hire the right ones for their jobs,” he added.
By the end of the year, industry-related resources within the portal will be available to the public. By then, the portal will also house an e-forum where alumni can share their experiences about the job, and connect with current students, it said.
news source & image credits: channelnewsasia.com
