VietAbroader event helps young Vietnamese better prepare for the job market

The event, titled VietAbroader Career Talk 2015, kicked off with group conversations with recruiters from a large number of companies regarding employment and work culture as well as resume writing workshops and mock interviews on the first day. On the second day students joined talks with professionals in finance, PR/marketing and information technology.

“Participants learn more about the Vietnamese job market and the opportunities available for them in each field through these talks,” said Nguyen Hoang Linh, VietAbroader’s co-president and head of the organising team for the event. “Through the interaction with recruiters and the mock interviews they can get advice and feedback from recruiters so they can find out in what ways they need to improve and whether they have the appropriate career orientation.”

A mix of fifty students from Vietnamese and US colleges and universities have participated. They were selected from a pool of 150 applicants based on their school records, extracurricular activities as well as submitted career plans.

“Many students at Vietnamese universities have the necessary skills to successfully compete on the labour market but do not know how to show those skills to recruiters,” Linh said. “On the other hand, Vietnamese students at foreign universities who come home to look for work have the skills and the know-how but lack knowledge about the Vietnamese job market and the work culture in Vietnam. The small number of participants ensures not only that they can interact with guest speakers but also facilitates in-group conversations and allow them to learn from each other.”

“I joined the event because I want to widen my network and learn from people working in the field,” said Du Ngan Linh, a senior at the National Economics University in Hanoi who is looking for opportunities in PR and marketing. “The event has been very helpful. I learned a lot.”

VietAbroader Career Talk 2015 is part of the VietAbroader Career Series. Last month, the VietAbroader Career Conference 2015 in Ho Chi Minh City, which included a job fair besides informational talk shows, saw the participation of 200 students and graduates and more than 30 companies.

VietAbroader, established in 2004, is run by Vietnamese students and graduates from schools in Vietnam, the US and many other countries. Besides its trademark conferences on studying abroad, the organisation has organised many activities to help young Vietnamese prepare for their career or contribute to their communities.