Students looking for jobs, internships or master’s programs, are welcome to come to the Asia-Pacific Career Conference (APCC) to make connections and gain information, said three Career Services employees.
All BYU–Hawaii students, both certified and uncertified, should attend the conference held on campus from March 2-4. This is a conference where students can build connections with employers, professionals, graduate school recruiters, and representatives of over 60 companies and from more than 10 different countries.
Career Services employee Auahi Aiu is a junior majoring in business management who was born and raised in Hawaii. He shared APCC seeks to connect people, particularly BYUH students, with employers who have either international roots or a global influence.
He added while Career Services employees encouraged students to become APCC certified to help them get prepared for the upcoming in-person career fair, certification isn’t required to attend. The deadline to get certified was Feb. 18. “The APPC certification was just like a bonus,” he said. “Everyone is allowed to come to the APPC conference, and the activities are there” for all students, Aiu added.
What is unique about APCC 2022?
Camilla Paul is an administrative specialist and career mentor lead at Career Services. She is from Malaysia, graduated from BYUH two years ago, studied interdisciplinary studies in human resources, and has been working at the Career Services since graduating.
She said APPC is an annual event that was conducted remotely last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, for this upcoming APCC 2022, she said Career Services employees worked to find employees from international companies and with international connections who could still travel despite COVID-19 restrictions.
She said there will also be representatives from domestic companies with connections to international companies coming to the conference. During APCC, students can meet representatives from well-known global companies including Twitter, Adobe, Google, and Pepsi. Paul shared despite the COVID-19 challenges preparations are going smoothly. She said, “It has been one of the biggest miracles.”
How to prepare for APCC
Paul said students should prepare to come to the career fair by practicing their elevator pitches doing mock interviews, and updating their resumes and LinkedIn profiles. She said most employers and professionals who will attend APCC have LinkedIn accounts for professional use. Students can upload their resumes and certificates on LinkedIn, she said, and exchange updated profiles with employers at APCC.
Trinh Nguyễn, a junior majoring in supply chain management from Vietnam and another Career Services employee, advised freshmen or students who do not have experience creating resumes to consider attending APCC this year as an opportunity to prepare themselves by starting to write their resumes and practicing elevator pitches before meeting real employers. He said, “Missing [this opportunity] is the worst thing that can happen.” He invited students to either go to the Career Services web page to book an appointment or walk in the office to meet with one of the Career Services mentors.
Dress up for the career fair
Aiu invited students to come dressed in business professional attire for APCC. He said the proper dress code includes Aloha shirts, dresses, or business casual clothing. He said to wear “collared shirts and slacks, or even a buttoned-up white shirt or a blue shirt, or even having a blazer for guys. For females, dresses, slacks, and a nice blouse,” he explained. “Dress up more than how you normally dress and that should be sufficient.”
Aside from the dress code, he talked about the importance of preparing a resume and all other documents that show the consistency and competency of a student to help them stand out to potential employers.
He said he has met wonderful students, but their documents don’t match or represent them well enough. “We want to help students show how amazing they are on paper. That way, it makes it easier for them to get the job, their dream job, or their dream career.”
Before attending APCC, he also suggested students ponder what work values each student wants to pursue by answering these questions:
What working environment do I want to work in?
What and how do I view work?
How do I view life?
Aiu shared combining the answers to these questions will guide students to identify where they want to go in life and help them become more intentional participants while attending APCC.
Career Services beyond the event
Career Services is around to help students not only for during APCC, but also every day, said Paul. Office hours are weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Career Services has mentors in its office to help BYUH students with preparing resumes, writing cover letters, finding jobs and internships, and practicing mock interviews. Career Services employees can take professional pictures of students for free, and it also provides “MBTI” personality tests and use the “Vmock” platform for career development.