Fall 2013

Business and Technical Communication Skills

Research Project
ENG201

Section 51

The importance of career

fairs in Abu Dhabi
University
Business and Technical Communication
ENG 201
Section 51
Spring 2014

Maryam Hossam

1036840

Manar Alboainain

1039834

Rim Omar

1036659

Shaima Bash

1037353

Instructor: Dr. Tara Rashad Al-Hadithy

Submission Date: May 26, 2014
This report investigates the importance of career fairs in Abu Dhabi University in
particular. It reaches a conclusion and makes recommendations to improve ADUs

Fall 2013

Business and Technical Communication Skills

Research Project
ENG201

Section 51

career fair based on a survey that was conducted and distributed among Abu Dhabi
University students.

Table of contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

List of Illustrations..3
Introduction.....4
Background
.....4
Discussion.......6
Conclusion......8
Recommendations.......8
Works Cited....9
Appendices....10
Survey Sample....10
Progress Report...11
Statement of Research Objectives.....
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Fall 2013

Business and Technical Communication Skills

Research Project
ENG201

Section 51

List of Illustrations
Figure 1:
Benefits of attending career fairs.5
Figure 2:
How helpful career fairs are to you?
.......6
Figure 3:
Have you made progress in your job search by attending? ..7

Fall 2013

Business and Technical Communication Skills

Research Project
ENG201

Section 51

1. Introduction
This research highlights to what extent career fairs are effective for Abu Dhabi University students.
Obviously, career fairs are important because they give students the opportunity to discover valuable
information about their future career. This report will focus on the progression of the students decisions
and choices for their future career, and will assist them to learn how to get most out of career fairs. A
survey was conducted by distributing a questionnaire of ten questions among students from different ages
and colleges in ADU in order to gather their opinion and make an observation of their overall impression
of ADUs career fair. This research paper proceeds with a brief overview about the topic by providing the
background information about the topic. This is followed by a discussion that highlights important aspects
regarding the information collected. Finally, the survey results are illustrated and analyzed to reach a
conclusion, and to make recommendations.

2. Background Information
Most people get their jobs using unofficial job search technique such as networking with people and
making direct contacts with the manager or the boss. Career fairs are helpful because they decrease the
time spent looking for a job to find the job thats suitable for the students or the applier.
Career fairs offer participants opportunities to learn about and apply for openings, meet with company
recruiters, submit resumes, or just get information about career opportunities. In addition, they can
develop a network of career contacts. Career fairs are an excellent place to practice and develop
interviewing skills as well.
Career fairs are one of the easiest places to find good job leads. Having a good skills and completely
prepared that may end up participating and sharing in variety interviews at the career fair, which could
lead to a second interview and possibly an offer of employment. Career fairs can also give the opportunity
to know the different local careers that are available. Career fairs are helpful to build a network to be able

Fall 2013

Business and Technical Communication Skills

Research Project
ENG201

Section 51

to make several contacts with recruiters, incorporation a network of resources for job leads. Network can
be expanded to include more job seekers and to get and share information with each other.
There are tips and Strategies for making most out of career fairs. First of all, making a research about the
participating employers in advance to know which employers will be at there in order to get information
about them. Second, planning a strategy that shows the list of participating organizations. Finally,
preparing for Interview by trying to expect the kind of questions employers may ask and preparing
answers to the questions.
Note. Background Information. Adapted from (HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF A CAREER FAIR ESSENTIAL TIPS AND
STRATEGIES )

Benefits of attending career fairs

Get a job
Get referrals for
job leads

Confirm
employment
contacts

Obtain and get

Interview
experience and
skills

Learn several
positions in
career fairs

Learn about
internship and/or
employment
opportunities

Figure 1: Benefits of attending career fairs

Fall 2013

Business and Technical Communication Skills

Research Project
ENG201

Section 51

3. Discussion
Hosting career fairs in Abu Dhabi University is a remarkable step that has been taken by the university.
That is because the career fairs can lead the students to find the most suitable career for them in the future,
and to narrow down their career options. To find out more about the topic, a survey was conducted to
investigate the way that Abu Dhabi University students find career fairs important to them and to their
future life.
The questionnaire showed a variety of opinions of ADU students. As shown in (figure 2), the main
question was about how helpful do the student find career fairs important? 14% of the students say that
they find career fairs helpful to them. While 60% of the students say that the career fairs are helpful to
some extent, and the remaining 20% say that they dont find career fairs very helpful to them.
70%
60%
50%
40%

14%
20%

30%

60%

20%
10%
0%
very helpful

helpful to some extent

Not very helpful

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Business and Technical Communication Skills

Research Project
ENG201

Section 51

Figure 2: How helpful career fairs are to you?

To add to that, 100% of the students sample who received the survey in ADU think that the university
should continue hosting career fairs because the career fairs give them the opportunity to think about their
future and career interests while they are still students. However, few of the students of ADU have
mentioned disadvantages in the questionnaire, which means that most of them believe that they do not see
disadvantages behind career fairs.
As shown in (figure 3), 66% of the students say that they moderately agree that the career fairs helped
them to make progress in their job search, and the reasons vary from student to another.

Fall 2013

Business and Technical Communication Skills

Research Project
ENG201

Section 51

70%
60%
50%
40%

8%
66%

30%

14%

20%
10%
0%
Strongly agree

moderately agree

strongly applicable

Figure 3: Have you made progress in your job search by attending?

As of our choice of this topic, we intended to highlight the main unknown facts about career fairs for all
ADU students. This may encourage other students to discover the importance and the efficiency of career
fairs as well as to give them the motivation to attend regularly. According to Trish Anderson, Mankato
Careers Examiner:

Fall 2013

Business and Technical Communication Skills

Research Project
ENG201

Section 51

Networking with other business professionals will allow you the

opportunity to build your credentials, develop your career, and find a
mentor within your community. Developing your career is not just
about what you know, but it is also about who you know. Close
connections within your community may jump start your professional
development and help you reach your career goals faster (Anderson,
2010).

4. Conclusion
In conclusion, career fairs are important to every student because they lead the students to their suitable
future careers. To add to that, career fairs help the students to keep their options opened when it comes to
choosing their career direction. Not only that, but career fairs also give the students the opportunity to
network with local employers and professionals to gain more general work experience. To cut short the
whole discussion, the easiest way to find a good job leads is to keep your eyes opened about attending this
event because it saves the appliers time, expands their knowledge about any information they need, and
facilitates their future plan.

5. Recommendations
Career fairs are essential factor behind the success of every student. Spreading the awareness about the
importance and efficiency of career fairs is a responsibility that must be handled by the university. To add
to that, encouraging the students to attend career fairs is crucial in order for them to get the most out of
career fairs. Our recommendation is that Abu Dhabi University should continue hosting career fairs to
provide their students, specially their graduates, with the career options available in the UAE. However,
Sometimes career fairs are limited to some majors, so it would be better if more choices were provided in
order to give the opportunity to the students in other majors. Moreover, hosting career fairs in free time or

Fall 2013

Business and Technical Communication Skills

Research Project
ENG201

Section 51

in an off day in the university is recommended so that all students can attend the event. Not only we
recommend students to attend, but we also invite everybody to attend because career fairs will help each
individual to develop their current career direction.

Works Cited
Anderson, T. (2010, February 22). Why career fairs are important for everyone. Retrieved
from Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/article/why-career-fairs-are-important-foreveryone
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF A CAREER FAIR ESSENTIAL TIPS AND STRATEGIES . (n.d.).
Retrieved from Houston Area Consortium of Career Centers:
http://www.haccc.org/documents/PrepareforCareerFairstudenthandout.pdf

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Fall 2013

Business and Technical Communication Skills

Research Project
ENG201

Section 51

Appendix A
This questionnaire aims to collect your views regarding ADUs career fairs. We appreciate
your participation.
1)- what is your gender?
*Male

*Female

2)- what is your collage?

*COBA

*COE

*UC

*COSA

3)-How often do you attend career fairs?

*Always

*Sometimes, how many times?

*Never, why?---------------------------

4)-How helpful career fairs are to you?

*Very helpful

*Helpful to some extent

* Not very helpful

5)-Have you made progress in your job search by attending?

*Strongly agree

*moderately agree

* strongly applicable

6)- Do you feel confident about your employment options when you leave career fairs?
*Strongly agree

* moderately agree

* strongly applicable

7)-Do you think it's important to think about your career interests and goals now while you are a
student?
*Yes

*NO

8)-Do you think ADU should continue hosting career fairs?

*Yes

*No

9)-Which of the following was you primary motivation to attend career fair?
*Learn about employers
*Network with employers

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Fall 2013

Business and Technical Communication Skills

Research Project
ENG201

Section 51

*Obtain an interview
* Talk about internship
*Narrow down job choices
*Gain experience talking about employers
*Volunteer
*Other
10)-What are the disadvantages of career fairs in your opinion?

Appendix B
Progress Report
Group project research question:
What is the importance of career fairs for ADU students?
Groups name: Manar Mariam Rim Shaima

Research method: Survey

Group project names/IDs and individual research tasks:

Name and ID
1. Manar Alboainain
1039834

Research task
Work completed:
Wrote the survey questions.
Helped with writing the statement of research objectives and typed it.
Work remaining:
Distribute the survey for 50 students from ADU.
Summarize the data from the survey, and write the recommendations
and results from it.

2. Marim Faisal
1036840

Work completed:
Summarized the survey questions.
Helped with writing the statement of research objectives.
Work remaining:
Distribute the survey for 50 students from ADU.
Write the introduction of the report.

3. Shaima Bash
1037353

Work completed:
Photo copied the survey.
Helped with writing the statement of research objectives.
Work remaining:

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Fall 2013

Business and Technical Communication Skills

Research Project
ENG201

4. Rim Kinan
1036659

Section 51

Distribute the survey for 50 students from ADU.

Write the abstract for the report.

Work completed:
Typed the survey questions
Helped with writing the statement of research objectives.
Work remaining:
Distribute the survey for 50 students from ADU.
Organize the table of content and the list of illustrations.

Difficulties encountered/ anticipated by the group:

Finding proper and easy questions for the students to answer for the survey was the main
difficulty that we have faced because we were trying to avoid long, difficult, and useless
questions.
Another difficulty is that it was hard for us sometimes to meet in order to discuss our
progress, since each one of us was under pressure from other courses and exams.

Suggested solutions for problems:

Managing our time and setting regular times for our meetings in advance in order to avoid
any last minute pressure.

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Fall 2013

Business and Technical Communication Skills

Research Project
ENG201

Section 51

Appendix 3

Statement Research Objectives

Group members names and ID:

1.
2.
3.
4.

Manar Muhana Albuainain1039834

Maryam Faisal
1036840
Shaima Bash
1037353
Reem Kinan
1036659

The question around which our research revolves:

What is the impact of career fairs on ADUs students?

The importance of investigating this particular topic:

How effective career fairs are among ADUs students?
Have career fairs made changes in the rate of unemployment among ADUs
students\graduates?
How beneficial career fairs are to ADUs students?
How career fairs would make applying and getting a job easier for ADUs students?
If the students were hired as a result of the career fairs, would they manage to make
balance between working and studying at the same time?
Do the career fairs have a high attendance rate from ADUs students?
This research will help us find out:

Solutions for unemployed ADUs students.

How to guide student to find their suitable future career in career fairs?
How beneficial career fairs are to ADUs students?
How to make the career fairs more efficient and beneficial to ADUs students?
What are the suggestions and opinions of ADUs students on the career fairs? And
how would they like to improve them?

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Fall 2013

Business and Technical Communication Skills

Research Project
ENG201

Section 51

Solution for the low rate of career fairs attendance from ADUs students (if we found
that its low)

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