Almost 120 speed interviews took place in the business lounge of football club Excelsior Rotterdam, along with networking conversations and around 70 CV checks by RSM’s career development managers and recruiters from KPMG and Unilever. In the tented area outside, there were more networking opportunities. In total, there were 35 companies at the fair of which 12 companies conducted speed interviews.
Technical and hospitality sector
Students made a good impression on representatives from the various attending companies. “We have a huge focus on keeping a good talent pipeline and we find partnerships with universities very important, especially with those who are offering studies that are out of our sector since it’s not obvious to students from these studies to send in their application,” said representatives Liubov Tayachi and Martine Scharroo from marine contractor Van Oord. They said RSM students are “kind, open to conversation, humble and mature.” Gas shipping company Anthony Veder’s HR officer Anne de Koning mentioned the maritime sector is also looking for non-technical profiles so she attended to inform students about opportunities.
Another company that joined the career event for employer brand awareness among international students was The Social Hub. Company representatives Torie Gramoll and Ayla Acevedo Bos: “Many students don't associate our company with business activities, but do know us as a hotel. So we surprised a lot of students with the opportunities we have.”
Successful leads
Hilti’s corporate recruiters Ismay van Noort and Julia Pospiech return to the career event annually because of the recruitment successes and leads to hires. “We took part in the speed interview sessions and will happily follow-up with all students we spoke with. Not a minute of our time was wasted here.”
Tech consulting firm Gartner’s recruiter Salvatore Cesarano was also happy with the speed interviews: “We spoke to many engaged students throughout the event, both at our booth and for speed interviews. RSM remains one of Gartner’s strongest partners and we are already looking forward to next year’s event.”
Diversity and sustainability
Gisela Pujol and Elisabetta Rocchi from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) also say RSM is a good pool of talent: students have a good reputation, communicate well and have good know-how. WBCSD is particularly interested in students with a master in sustainability, and they say the interns and associates they already have from RSM are performing well.
Representatives from AkzoNobel, OTC Flow, Philips and Rituals were also impressed with the RSM students’ talent and the well-organised career event which they joined for employee branding and direct contact with potential future employees for internships and jobs.
This year’s editions also featured first-time company participation by German multinational energy company RWE, Dutch governmental organisation Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO), telecommunications company Altman Solon, and Barilla. Barilla’s talent partner Vassia Koutsiana said: “I am impressed by RSM and its diversity of programmes. Students here are very focused on the goals they have, they know what they want, and are structured.
Open-minded students
RSM’s employer relations manager Laura van Steenwijk says: “In these post-Covid times we see that many Gen Z job seekers value hybrid positions, and you also see this shift happening with employers. This event was great for students who are still in the orientation phase of their job search, and also for students actively looking for an internship or their job after their studies.”
Students said they’re now more open to roles that might not ‘fit perfectly’ on paper, for example to start their career in a more general role to gain experience. They also valued the feedback on their CV checks and interview skills.
The RSM International Career Event was organised by the RSM Career Centre in collaboration with study association STAR as part of the STAR Management Week for companies to meet bachelor and master students from RSM. The International Career Event’s main sponsor was KPMG.
