SPP Brings Virtual Career Sessions to CEU’s Career Days and Fair

As part of CEU's annual Career Days and Fair, the School of Public Policy (SPP) piloted a number of virtual career sessions featuring information on professional development opportunities and career paths with Atlas Corps, the European Parliament Schuman Trainee Program, Oxfam, and UNICEF.

"Over the years, CEU has built excellent relationships with employers in Hungary and the region," explained SPP Director of Career Services and Alumni Relations Ann Gagliardi. "We decided to capitalize on SPP's global focus and wide-ranging network to add an international component to the Fair. Thanks to CEU's excellent videoconferencing facilities and great IT support, this turned out to be a relatively simple proposition." Gagliardi also highlighted the contribution of student volunteers to the project. "They played an invaluable role, helping us identify organizations, reaching out to potential speakers, and facilitating the sessions."

During the virtual career sessions, presenters and students alike benefited from an open, informal setting. "What I found exceptionally useful was the fact that the speakers felt free to share some of their personal takeaways, tips, and tricks that they had learned on their own career path," highlighted Mariyana Petrova (MPA '16).

Public policy alumni, including Andrija Visic (MAPP '15) and Bilal Aurang Zeb (Mundus MAPP '09), led some of the virtual career sessions, adding a more personalized touch to the events. "I found it very useful to connect with alumni," said Dann Moreno (ENVS '16). "Listening to how their career paths developed, I felt that it was easy to relate to and learn from their experiences."

Since the events covered a range of career paths from multilateral organizations to internationally-focused nonprofit organizations, students could hone in on sessions that matched with their personal interests. Zhanetta Zhakypova (MPA '16), who wants to pursue a career in monitoring and evaluation, was particularly excited about the discussion with a Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation advisor to Oxfam's Extractive Industries Global Program. "I appreciate the very encouraging way in which she presented her insights about starting a career in monitoring and evaluation," Zhakypova noted. "I also learned useful information for my team's Passion Project, for which we are researching impact evaluation frameworks."

Daniel Paden Chang (MAPP '16), the student volunteer who organized the Oxfam session, was enthusiastic about the experience. "Whenever you do something like this for the first time, there is always that fear in the back of your mind that no one will participate. The presenter turned out to be a superb speaker. She went out of her way to answer questions, shared information about the specifics of her work, and did all she could to illustrate what a career in monitoring and evaluating for an international non-governmental organization actually entails."

Gagliardi closed by noting that the virtual career sessions were a great example of productive partnerships. "We worked very closely with our colleagues in the central CEU and Business School offices of Career Services to make this happen. All of us were pleased with the outcome. I look forward to doing this again in the future."