Colorful aspects of the 2008 Ewha Career Expo

Past the purple neon entrance of the Ewha Career Expo one could hear the murmurs of anxiety and the buzz of an energetic crowd mingling gracefully. More than 30 blue-colored booths filled up the spacious Multipurpose Room of the ECC, where employers from each different company sat in pairs to give advice on getting a job.

Sponsored by theCareerDevelopmentCenter , the Ewha Career EXPO was held from September 2 to 3. It originally began with the mission to provide students with specific advice on job interviews and a chance to get in touch with in-depth information straight from each individual company. Here, students could also consult Ewha alumnae who were already carrying out their careers in various companies.

Every company had its own booth where students could sit down, freely ask questions and receive brochures. Additional clinics were set up to help students with English job interviews and resumes. This year, nearly 4000 students came to the event to seek their future careers and enjoy additional programs provided by the Career Development Center.

Though held every year, theCareerDevelopmentCenter said it strives to make small, but necessary adjustments each time the job fairs are held. “This year we have split up the booths for interviews and resumes into two separate areas so that students can really focus on the area that they need help on,” said a member of theCareerDevelopmentCenter staff who talked in behalf of the director. “We have also added another of the highly coveted Make-up Beauty Clinic booth.”

Last year, the EXPO had been held outdoors where many employers had difficulty meeting students under the hot sun. This year, the Career Development Center had taken that into account and organized the event to take place inside the new ECC building.

Amid the flourish of blue booths, other prospects of the Expo painted quite a colorful scene. Near the entrance students scrambled to fill out Job Preference Tests provided by the Ministry of Labor and receive free analysis. Free aptitude test coupons were given to students who completed the survey that asked students on how much they were satisfied with the EXPO. Occasional clicks and flashes came from booths where students took resume photos and had them printed for free. Whirring razors tidied up the eyebrows of students at the make-up booth.

Inside the EXPO were two eye-catching booths where people sat in uniforms. TheRepublic ofKorea Marine Corps and theRepublic ofKorea Navy booth stood side to side in one corner. “We are here to attract students in becoming an ROTC of the Marine Corps. We are looking for determined women who can show the delicate abilities that men lack,” said Hwang Jeong-min, a public relations officer. “Actually, we always have a couple of Ewha student applicants each year.”

Ewha students had various opinions about the EXPO, but mentioned that they were generally satisfied with it. “I received a broad feedback on my interview,” said Choi Soo-ryun (Distribution and Information, 4). “I showed them my prepared mock interview and got realistic advice on what I lacked to join this specific company.”

They mentioned they liked the EXPO because it was organized to meet the specific needs of each student. “I was interested in various Samsung companies, and here I could visit both Samsung Finance Network and Samsung Life and find out on their profile of an ideal employee,” said Jang Ye-lee (English Literature, 4). A student from outside of Ewha said he also found the EXPO very helpful. “We also have an EXPO at my school,” said Kim Mun-sang (HongikUniversity , 4). “But compared to that, I think Ewha’s EXPO is much more organized.”

by Kang Sung-hye