NUS Career Fest returns with twice-yearly fairs, current edition spotlighting AI

NUS Career Fest returns with twice-yearly fairs, current edition spotlighting AI

An error occurred while preparing your download

NUS students seeking career and internship opportunities will now benefit from a refreshed format for the NUS Career Fest, which will be held twice annually starting this academic year.

The revamped flagship event organised by the NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates(CFG) aims to enhance support for students in their career journeys by providing them with more opportunities to engage with employers, boost their professional development, and prepare for the workforce.

"We are encouraged that employer demand remains strong despite the job market uncertainties and disruptions AI brings to entry-level roles. More than 230 organisations are participating in NUS Career Fest Oct 2025. By running NUS Career Fest twice yearly, alongside faculty-specific fairs and combined with a vibrant, year-round campus recruitment calendar, we are creating more touchpoints for students to connect with employers. Ahead of the fair, CFG conducted workshops with a focus on strengthening the life skills as well as AI readiness including how to use AI responsibly and effectively in job search and early career roles. These programmes are designed to help our students stand out, learn boldly and adapt confidently into a fast-moving work world", said Joan Tay, Senior Director, NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates.

A theme for the times: From Gen Z to Gen AI

Held from 8 to 9 October 2025 at two venues - the Stephen Riady Centre in NUS University Town and the Engineering Auditorium Atrium at the College of Design and Engineering- this year's fair carried the timely theme "From Gen Z to Gen AI: The Prompt to Your Next Great Career".

The theme underscores how today's graduates are entering a workforce where generational strengths such as creativity, adaptability and digital fluency intersect with the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI).

Over the two days, students have the opportunity to meet with more than 230 participating employers across 20 industries, ranging from established sectors such as finance, engineering, and the public service, to fast-growing domains like AI, sustainability, and digital commerce.

On day one, thousands of students streamed through the booths, exploring internships, full-time roles, and career pathways they might not have considered before. Christopher Zhang, a Year 1 student from Faculty of Arts and Social Sciencesreflected: "I think it's a great idea to hold the fair in October because it aligns well with the cycle of hiring interns. Many companies start preparing for internship recruitment during the semester break in January, when listings are released. Attending the fair early gives me the chance to plan ahead, start shortlisting opportunities, preparing my résumé, and thinking about the types of internships I want to pursue. When February comes around, it's more about refining the details and identifying specific companies I'd like to join. The experience also made me realise how important it is to stand out, to secure a role in my desired industry. It's not just about being prepared but about understanding what more I can do to differentiate myself from others."

An error occurred while preparing your download

Employers, in turn, were eager to connect with NUS talent. Pearlyn Wong, Talent Acquisition Senior Manager at SimplifyNext, said, "Our experience with NUS students has been genuinely energising. They bring a strong foundation in analytical thinking and an impressive ability to connect ideas across disciplines - from technology and data to human behaviour and design. What really stood out was how they responded to experiential challenges. In settings like our Agentic AI Hackathon or internships, NUS students quickly move from theory to practice - asking thoughtful questions and showing the kind of intellectual curiosity that thrives in an environment like SimplifyNext. We look for people who are not just good at solving problems, but who reframe them. And that's something we've consistently seen among NUS students. Their adaptability, teamwork, and willingness to learn by doing mirror the same values that drive our own teams working on complex, AI-driven transformation projects."

Many employers emphasised that beyond technical expertise, they are seeking graduates with critical thinking, adaptability, and learning agility.

Harnessing innovation in career preparation

A highlight of this October's Career Fest was the launch of the CFG AI-Xplore chatbot, an AI-powered tool designed to provide students with instant access to career resources and guidance - from resume tips to sector-specific opportunities. Complementing in-person career advisory sessions, the chatbot supports NUS' commitment to prepare students to thrive in an AI-augmented world.

An error occurred while preparing your download

Also drawing student interest was the CFG Career Quest game, created by Woon Cher Han, a Year 4 student from the School of Computing, which scored the winning entry in a CFG-organised competition earlier this year. In the game, players step into the shoes of a fresh graduate battling the Monster of Doubt and Fear, using CFG's suite of offerings to overcome challenges. The interactive storyline resonated strongly with peers who recognised their own uncertainties mirrored in the gameplay.

Alongside these innovations, a range of fringe activities helped students sharpen their personal brand and networking skills. At the Career Pitch Stop, students practised their elevator pitch with real-time feedback from CFG career advisors. Interactive self-help kiosks, created in partnership with e2i, offered a gamified way for students to practise articulating their value proposition. Lifelong Learning SG guided students in discovering more about themselves and exploring career pathways that they might not have considered, while the NUS Lifelong Learningteam advised soon-to-be alumni on courses to support professional and personal growth. To round off the experience at the Career Fest, students could also get a complimentary professional headshot.

Benedicta Edlyn Kurniawan, a Year 4 student from Faculty of Science, said: "Attending NUS Career Fest has really broadened my perspective. Many of the companies here are from industries I've never explored before. The fair made it so much easier to find out which companies are hiring and ask questions directly. I ended up discovering organisations with roles that genuinely interest me. I could even scan their QR codes on the spot to apply, which made the whole experience simple and productive."

An error occurred while preparing your download

Sustaining the journey beyond Career Fest

Preparation for NUS Career Fest began weeks earlier, with workshops helping students refine resumes, strengthen elevator pitches, and polish personal brand statements. For the first time, post-event workshops have been introduced to ensure that students maintain momentum beyond the fair. These cover practical topics such as navigating job offers, salary negotiations, and building resilience during job searches.

Students can also explore international career opportunities at the Global Career Fair,between 13 and 23 October 2025, which offers access to employers from Japan, Hong Kong, India, Thailand, Mainland China, the United Arab Emirates, and beyond.

This will lead into the next edition of NUS Career Fest, slated to take place from first quarter of 2026. By anchoring two career fairs across the academic year, CFG is reshaping career preparation into a sustained journey of growth, discovery, and opportunity.

By NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates