NU-CAN -- Northwestern University Career and Networking Fair
Dec. 7, 2009 through Jan. 8, 2010. Alumni, the NAA, and the University Career Services (UCS) staff collaborated for NU-CAN, Northwestern University’s first virtual career networking fair. More than 371 alumni participants and 52 employer recruiters took part in the month-long fair, which connected alumni to other alumni and potential employers for networking purposes. The fair also offered professionals in their respective fields providing career services.
The inaugural career fair was targeted toward tech-savvy young alumni and kicked off last March. The fair was the brainchild of Career and Networking Committee, a standing committee of the NAA Board of Directors in partnership with Lonnie Dunlap, executive director of University Career Services. NAA Board members leading the effort were committee co-chairs John Williams (WCAS96) and Ce Cole Dillon (SESP78), and NAA officer Alexis Sarkisian (C71). The event required coordinating alumni volunteers as well as the technological and promotional aspects needed. UCS provided the majority of the technical support for the event by adapting a job fair software module to manage registration and networking functions.
Employers recruited for 100 openings, ranging from internships to experienced full time positions internationally. Illinois itself led career recruitment with 34 employers across the consulting, financial, marketing, and non-profit sectors. To gather employer participants, UCS promoted the event to their recruiter database and to individual alumni registered to receive career services updates. In addition the NAA staff promoted NU-CAN through e-mail campaigns, Facebook, and the NU LinkedIn.com group.
Lonnie Dunlap, Executive Director of Career Services, noted that a month-long virtual career fair benefits the busy schedule of alumni and employers while encouraging a high level of interaction without competing with the employer’s heavy fall recruitment. Dunlap described NU-CAN as, "an opportunity for employers and alumni to initiate contact no matter where they are in their career needs or geographic location. NU-CAN supports alumni from beginning to exploration, to gaining current knowledge about industries, to actual job application and especially to launch long term connections for future networking.”
With high participation rates and positive initial alumni and employer feedback, the virtual career networking fair will most likely be incorporated as a future ongoing program offered by the NAA and UCS.
Updated January 19, 2010.
