Make us want to stay - Two students perspectives

The main problem seems to be that there is not enough information about students' possible career opportunities. Before Covid, there used to be a career day at Campus where students got to talk to different companies and got an insight in what they do. For us soon-to-be newly graduated students, finding out ‘what to do’ after the summer can be very stressful. More so when we don’t have any insights into the business world in Ålesund and what opportunities we actually have for a career here. Considering to stay in the city does not even seem like an option. 

Now that we know the main issue, we are going to give some possible solutions from a student’s perspective. 

As a business leader, what can you do?

There are so many exceptional students who are eager to be exposed to the business world, preferably at an early stage. Here are a few tips to get a hold of us.  

1. Reach out to the university 

The first step in becoming visible for students is to reach out to the university. It’s an easy step towards students being familiar with your company. Present your business, and what majors might be relevant for applying for a job at your company. Offer to represent your company at a career day at campus, list an internship position, host an event for students or give a guest lecture. Being visible at campus will give your company a unique opportunity to present yourself for relevant majors, and make students aware of possible career options. If you’re looking for new employees, advertising at campus is a perfect opportunity to get newly educated candidates to apply. 

2. Guest lectures

Guest lectures are not just an opportunity for a company to make profit, but it’s also the perfect opportunity to present your company for students. Start or end your lecture with information about your company. This is an easy, yet effective way of making students aware of your business and will give them an insight into who you are and what you do. Today, a lot of the guest lectures currently held at NTNU are by companies/professors from bigger cities like Trondheim and Oslo. This can give the students the impression that they have to move to these cities to get a relevant job, unaware of all the possibilities in Ålesund. Through guest lectures you will have a unique opportunity to make students aware of your business and the variety of career choices here.

3. Internship

Do you have a problem or a case you need some more information about? Is there a certain task you don’t have time to do yourself? Then use us! We students want to contribute, we want to learn, and we want to be relevant. An internship is a perfect opportunity for students to gain experience in a learning environment. In addition to that, the interns will give you a new perspective and a different way of doing things. This will give your business more diversity, which can lead to productivity and innovation. 

4. Event

Hosting an event where you and other companies come together to present yourselves is the perfect way of breaking the barrier. Tell us what you do and who you are looking for, maybe even what kind of subjects are relevant for the different positions in your business. You can even arrange a workshop where students can help you solve a case or bring new ideas. What about “speed-dates” where students pitch themselves to you and vice versa? This way you can find someone relevant for an internship or a job at your company in the future. The possibilities are many, we just need to be creative and find a fun way to interact with each other. 

Why is this important? 

Remember, we are not going to be students forever. In just five months thousands of newly educated humans are ready to take on the exciting working life, and wouldn't you be the first in line to get hold of the best candidates? It is easy to get lost among the many other vacancy listings, therefore it is important for your business to be visible early on. Maybe we will even come to you after hearing about your business in a guest lecture, or from a co-student who has been in an internship telling how exciting and inspiring it was to work there. 

Exactly how your business is visible is not important, the most important thing is that we create an open path between us. Not just for us or you, but for the working community and diversity in Ålesund.