The NYLON Manila Career Fair 2024 season has officially begun! Let’s recap some of the highlights from its first stop at De La Salle University.
The hustle and bustle of a regular Tuesday was underscored by a gentle breeze and a quiet excitement. Colorful booths being set up around the Yuchengco Caves of La Salle’s halls is not an unfamiliar sight. However, the rolling in of an iconic N could only mean one thing: the NYLON Manila Career Fair was officially happening. No, this is not a drill.
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From expert guest speakers to enticing giveaways, the first stop of NYLON Manila’s University Takeover roadshow opened the 2024 Career Fair season with a bang. Read below to get a full recap of the day’s events as well as a sneak peek at what’s in store for the next rounds of the tour.
THE WARM UP
At noon, just in time for the lunch rush, various stalls were ready for the students to explore and play in. Bringing the salon experience to La Salle was KISS NY Philippines, with their take on an Escape Room. Passerby’s were challenged to get glammed up in three minutes to win exciting prizes – an experience that feels less glamorous when you’re rushing to get to work in the morning, but extremely relatable nonetheless.
Who doesn’t love a good gachapon? Natural and sustainable skin care brand, Bioten, invited students to explore their garden-esque kiosk as well as their luck on the draw with their modern take on a raffle. For those who managed to spin and win, the glow up era is going to be lit.
In a partnership that’s almost as intuitive as coffee and Mondays, Cetaphil and Benzac teamed up to show us all that: you can treat pimples before they become a problem with their pimple patch solutions. Students took selfies and wrote down their best skin care advice on their full-length mirror.
NYLON Manila joined the fun with its very own MyZine booth. Free MyZine binders and packs were given to students who stopped by, and were invited to customize their very own binders at the nearby lunch tables with complimentary NYLON Manila-themed stickers. In the words of some MyZine takers: it was so slay.
As the time for the NYLON Manila Career Fair’s Career Talks to begin approached, students who registered for the event also got to meet AGC Power Holdings Corporations’ HR department and submit their information for possible internships at NYLON Manila and other titles under AGCPHC.
Audience members entering the event hall were also greeted by NYLON Manila’s iconic N statue, which served as a freedom wall for students to manifest their dreams and wishes on.
CLASS IS IN SESSION
The Career Talks began with a full house. Who better to hype up the Green and White crowd than DLSU darling and it-girl host Aiyana Perlas, who most recently hosted at BINIverse, and whose natural charm and charisma on stage kept the energy flowing throughout the program. She kicked things off by reminding the audience that: adulting is an exciting new chapter in life, and your first job is an important part of it. This was the mood that Aiyana and everyone at the NYLON Manila Career Fair aimed for, and everyone delivered.
DLSU’s very own Team Communications (Team Comm) – the student organization that helps create opportunities for Communications students to hone their skills and talents, who partnered with NYLON Manila to make the La Salle leg of the University Takeover a reality, came onstage to get everyone’s brains geared up with a fun guessing game themed around both the Career Fair and La Salle.
The story of your first job begins with your first application. So what better way to start the Career Talk excitement than with a guide to one of the most important documents you’ll create as a young professional: your CV. From the HR department of AGCPHC, with help from NYLON Manila’s Brand Associate, Bianca Lao, Dennise Rialp and Jenny Brutas came onstage to clarify to students what exactly should and shouldn’t go on your CV. The power duo that was Den and Jen answered common questions associated with the dreaded CV, and spilled the tea on what recruiters look for in the candidates that come across their tables.
That next job is always ready and waiting for you, but the better question is: are you ready for it? To talk about how the mindset you need to have as you enter the workplace for the first time, management consultant, transformational coach, and co-founder of Epiphany Collective PH Eric Cruz took to the stage and talked about the importance of personal mastery. Eric got intro the NYLON Manila spirit, too, as he discussed how students could control their circumstances through NYLON Manila’s three favorite words: BIG, BOLD, and BRAVE.
Next on stage was self-proclaimed org comm/Animo squad girlie Zara Carbonell who, by the way, did we mention is a Miss Tourism Worldwide Title Holder, published author, entrepreneur, and all-around baddie? In what she described was a full circle moment, Zara wasn’t afraid to call out the audience and remind them that: you are personally responsible for your own success. This personal accountability, according to her, was the secret to balancing a career both in corporate and content creation.
To inject a fun break and re energize the crowd, Bianca Lao returned to the stage to lead the program into a fun Kahoot!-powered segment. Students were quizzed on some basic corporate know-how, DLSU factoids, and NYLON Manila-themed trivia. The competition was fierce, and three of the fastest contestants got to walk away with some Sunnies Flasks and HelloLulu Bags.
Dr. Bea Chan took us back to science class, but made it fresh by giving the audience her tips and tricks on how to reach your #skingoals. After all, let’s be real: how you feel about your appearance has a direct impact on your confidence. One of the biggest takeaways? Do not underestimate the importance of SPF!
Last but not the least among the guest speakers was Career Counsellor and Director of Academic and Student Affairs at the SoFA Institute Mads Constantino, whose illustrious career was demonstrated in seconds with slide after slide of accolades and experience laid out for the audience to behold. She talked about the importance of defining yourself and defining what success means to you, and how these things will ultimately help guide you as you negotiate your salary. She also encouraged the students to look beyond numbers and see value in things other than salary, because experience is invaluable.
To cap the evening, our guest speakers, moderated by Aiyana, formed a panel and answered questions directly from the audience. Students’ questions ranged from how to have a successful internship and how to look for opportunities, to finding a balance between career longevity and discovering yourself through varied experience. Overall, the questions were very thoughtful and our speakers had many more insights to share.
AFTER THE BELL
Our audience left with more than just words of wisdom, fun memories, and killer sound bites. As a fun souvenir from the NYLON Manila Career Fair festivities, students were gifted with goodies from Cetaphil, Solasta Jewelry, Sunnies Face, and ARTernative Art Supplies – all housed in a NYLON Manila tote bag.
More excitement awaits as NYLON Manila’s Career Fair is just getting started. Our next stop: UP Diliman on 26 September. See you there!
Continue reading: Arshie Larga Demystifies Your First Job Experience
