AUBG’s Job Fair: Limited Opportunities for JMC Students

The annual Job Fair will be held on March 27 at the AUBG Sports Hall. The registration for companies has already started. What concerns students who are majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) is that the event will, again, offer very few job or internship opportunities in the field.

“I believe that the Job Fair is a great opportunity, and I personally know quite a few people who have benefited from the event,” Kiril Kolarov, a senior JMC student, said. “My only concern is that there are more opportunities for business majors than any other majors. I feel like the Fair does not have enough options for JMC students, and that is sad because it is a really popular major.”

Why are there so few media-related companies participating in the Job Fair?

“In my opinion, in those specific industries, the demand for talent is not that high, not in terms of qualifications, but in numbers. Maybe that is why the participation of such industries is less in such kinds of events,” Rumyana Hristova, the AUBG Career Center Coordinator, said.

Regardless of whether the reason is the low demand for talent in terms of numbers, it is a fact that very few media-related companies’ representatives participate in the Job Fair every year. This does not remain unnoticed by JMC students, who have tried to find a job during the event.

“AUBG is considered a Business major-oriented university, so most of the opportunities are connected to companies in this sphere,” Mirela Yovcheva, a fourth-year JMC student, said.

The fact that AUBG is mostly famous for its Business Administration major is not the only cause for the poor participation of media-related companies. The different approach towards candidates is yet another reason.

“From my experience up until now, I would say that it is not a surprise that the JMC opportunities are fewer than the others. From my point of view, it is a global tendency. The jobs in the creative industries are usually found via direct recommendations or referrals,” Hristova said.

The necessity of direct recommendations hinders JMC students from easily finding a job since they do not already have the needed contacts.

“It doesn't help that media outlets often require interning for them, sometimes for free,” Frantsiska Kutevska, a fourth-year JMC student, said. “Also, I don't know any media company that directly hires a fresh-out-of-university student.”

Where can JMC students find job offers?

One of the ways JMC students can search for job offers is via the Student Opportunities Newsletter, which the Career Center sends out weekly.

“The student newsletter consists of a lot of things that we aim to provide for students, apart from jobs and internships. We provide information for different types of competitions, seminars, and summer schools. We also try to give some advice in each newsletter,” Hristova said.

For some students, the newsletter is still ineffective since the problem with the few JMC-related job opportunities is reiterated there as well.

“Most positions in the newsletter seem to be directed at BUS or COS majors. In terms of actual media job positions I don't remember seeing any in either the Students Opportunities Newsletter or the Job Fair,” Frantsiska said.

There are other places to search for a job for students like Kiril who “haven’t read the newsletter.” Those include LinkedIn, Jobs.bg, and Capital Karieri, to name a few.

The disappointment from the limited opportunities for JMC students in both the Newsletter and the Job Fair also brings up the idea of creating specific events dedicated to a single major.

“The Job Fair shouldn’t be the only place and time that AUBG would help those students find connections,” Mirela said. “There could be other events throughout the year that are focused only on one major or at least those majors that have the most students enrolled.”

What can JMC students do when searching for a job?

“I would suggest that AUBG students expand the area of industries that they are interested in,” Hristova said. “JMC is so flexible. You [JMC students] can absolutely go for the business world with a JMC degree because you have gained a lot of skills that can be fitted in a lot of different types of opportunities.”

After preliminary research, Hristova found 15 industries and 27 jobs relevant for JMC students and graduates. Apart from them, the non-governmental sector also offers media-related positions.

“I would encourage students to look for opportunities not only in the business world but also in the non-governmental sector because a lot of cause-driven organizations are looking for people,” Hristova said.

According to Hristova, JMC students should emphasize networking through those industries. She also encouraged them to attend other events, such as the Career Show during the Fall semester, to create contacts.

Hristova also recommended starting a collaboration between the students and the Career Center, which “will be beneficial for both sides.”

“If you [JMC students] share with us your insights and even suggest specific names of organizations we haven’t invited, we can contact them and do our best to invite them to participate in the Job Fair or present their organization,” Hristova said. “Furthermore, if you also share with us opportunities that you received from your professors, for example, that would be also useful.”