April 13-15, Manila—The University of Santo Tomas (UST), in partnership with Unilever Philippines, hosted the Thomasian Pride Career Fair 2016, a one-of-a-kind career fair zeroing in on job opportunities for the modern workforce. With over a hundred companies across 24 industries as exhibitors, Thomasian applicants were made privy to interesting posts and openings made with the millennial hyphenate in mind.
Held at the Plaza Mayor of the UST Campus in Manila, esteemed companies across different sectors were on a mission to attract Thomasian graduates, offering summer internships, mentorship programs, and actual job posts.
It was a rich selection of choices for the Thomasian grads and undergrads. Power players in the following industries were all present, each offering an attractive spread of career opportunities: advertising, lifestyle and creations, entertainment, BPO, placement, insurance, healthcare, consulting, surveying, education, financial, construction, real estate, automobile and transportation, manufacturing, distribution and marketing, publishing, food, chemical and pharmaceutical, technology, telecommunications, as well as power and energy.
Unilever Behind The Thomasian Millennial
Kicking off with signature Thomasian fanfare, representatives of the University of Santo Tomas community Dr. Lucila O. Bance, UST Director of Counseling and Career Fair and Anna Mangalili, Central Student Council President, joined by Dr. David Hall, Director for USAID Stride, as well as executives of Unilever Philippines Angelo Lacanlale and Blair Edgar Dimaano joined forces to launch the Thomasian Pride Career Fair 2016.
Unilever Philippines has long believed in the strength of the University and is eager to welcome the new crop of Thomasian millennials. The University of Santos Tomas (UST), in turn, prides itself for having innovative programs that prepare its graduates for the demands of the real world and has been recognized as an institution that emphasizes excellence. In the 2016 Jobstreet.com.ph survey of schools that matter, 31% of companies prefer employing fresh graduates from UST. It also got a 4-star rating from the QS Top Universities, an organization that rates and ranks universities worldwide.
Unilever Philippines acknowledges the invaluable contributions of this new breed of employees. Because of the innate nature of Unilever to highlight innovation and technology, it sees merit in identifying talent among the millennial lot, especially from one the country’s most esteemed academic institutions. “Technology in Unilever is at the forefront of genuine globalization. Technology touches every part of our organization enabling our business to move faster and with more confidence than ever before. As the pace of business gets faster, and as consumer behaviours evolve more rapidly, technology is the way we create competitive advantage for Unilever,” explains Job Nacpil of Unilever ETS. “The fact that millenials are technology-savvy places them at a greater advantage.”
Holistic Career Experience
Aside from exhibitor’s booths, the Thomasian Pride Career Fair 2016 also held networking nights and a series of inspirational career talks, all guaranteed to spark that dialogue between the millennial workforce and forward-thinking companies. Among the most inspirational of the forums were talks that featured successful Thomasian millennials, each succeeding in his or her own chosen field.
Sharing his experience on life after having graduated from UST, millennial Romulo Kintanar, a graduate of BS Psychology, is now a public school teacher who’s an upstanding member of Teach for the Philippines, an organization that advocates for education equity. He inspired by speaking of his vocation, reminding students that “when choosing a career, choose sa’n ka makaka-contribute, kung sa’n ka kailangan.” His perspective marries the millennial mindset that gives prominence on skill and passion.
Millennial Reuben Nuval of Coca-Cola FEMSA spoke of his experience climbing up the corporate ladder, citing some crucial lessons that have shaped his career. Now an area training and development area manager, Nuval tugged at millennial heartstrings when he stressed the importance of “sharpening the saw.” He said that one must “Never stop learning; take all the opportunities to learn.” Finishing off with a rah-rah for graduates, he reminds them that, “You are a Thomasian!
You are awesome! You have what it takes!”
Then, there was also Ron Baetiong who claimed he’s “an epitome of a guy who never gives up—and Thomasians never give up.” A BS entrepreneurship graduate, he turned his thesis into a profitable app in the nightclub scene, now known as Partyphile. The journey was challenging, yes, but Baetiong embraced his daring millennial guts and went for it.
The Millennial Moment
These are but few examples of the many Thomasian millennials making it big in the workworld. It takes guts, an appreciating of millennial mindset, and the channeling to make these insights productive and effective. This is the strength of a Thomasian education, adaptive to the times in order to bring about change that is relevant to the world as it currently is.
With opportunities presented during the Thomasian Pride Career Fair 2016, it is certain that more and more Thomasians will be added to the already long list of graduates who’ve made an impact in the country. In as far as breeding successful millennials go, it seems that UST has its game down pat. The school’s continuous effort to make education programs updated and even more diverse ensures that students will have numerous pathways to take for them to excel.
