Alumni Market their US experience to Azerbaijan's Top Employers

At a recent job fair in Baku, Azerbaijan, more than 70 alumni of US exchange programs seized an opportunity to introduce themselves to the hiring managers of some of Azerbaijan’s biggest employers. Held on October 30, the second annual Career Day and Job Fair was organized by the US-Educated Azerbaijan Alumni Association (AAA), an organization that unites more than 2,000 Azeri alumni of US State department exchange programs such as the IREX-implemented Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program and the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program in Eurasia and Central Asia.

The morning session featured a panel discussion of Azeri alumni who shared their insights on today’s job market in Azerbaijan and provided suggestions to help other alumni from US programs define their career goals. Following the panel, breakout sessions on grant writing skills, fundraising, and career planning were offered for all AAA members. Sarah Hennessey, IREX Country Director for Azerbaijan, co-led a breakout session on career planning titled “What Color is Your Parachute?”

The afternoon Job Fair, open to the general public, drew scores of prospective applicants who shared their resumes and discussed hiring procedures with representatives of Coca Cola, OSCE, Deloitte, BP, several banks, technology companies, and dozens of other organizations and firms. Participants expressed positive feedback about the fair, saying the event had been interesting and helpful in learning how to market their unique experiences as US exchange program alumni.