By Sarmad Qazi

The first-ever career fair by Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Qatar) has concluded.
Open to SFS-Qatar students, the fair gave employers the chance to discuss future professional opportunities with the students, while at the same time preparing the students for the job market.
“As a result of this fair and presentations, students got the chance to meet face-to-face with representatives from a wide range of industries, explore various career options, gain valuable interview experience and job search advice from seasoned professionals,” SFS-Qatar career counsellor Basmah Ali said.
High-profile employers included ExxonMobil, Qatar Finance House, Barwa, Al Jazeera Children’s Channel and Qatargas, while NGOs Muslim Aid Qatar Red Crescent and Reach Out To Asia and research institutes RAND, Brookings Centre, the Arab Democracy Foundation and Aljazeera Research Centre were also present. 
Some of the other employers who participated were Qatar Foundation’s Research division, Made in Europe, Kershaw Leonard, Clarendon Parker, BP, Bayt.com, Qatar News Agency and Qatar Olympic Committee. 
Student Lina Abduljawad (‘10) said: “It was hard to start at first but as I talked to different employers, I was able to build up confidence and fine-tune my skills interacting with the employers.”
Another student, Aakash Jayaprakash (SFS ’11) said: “It is great to have different organisations from various sectors represented at one place. This enables me to talk to very different employers and have a better idea about where my interests lie.”