Students seeking internship and career opportunities were welcomed to the 18th annual Job Fair at AUBG, which was held on the April 5-6. This year, 34 companies took part in the event, which means six companies more than the last year. Ivaylo Aksharov, Career Center Coordinator at AUBG, said that one possible explanation for the increased number of companies interested in the event is that the economy is recovering and companies are able to offer new intern positions. 

Philip Morris International, a tobacco company, Outsource International Partners, a service provider of outsource of finance and accounting, and Eurohold Bulgaria, a company that provides non-banking financial services and asset management, are some of the new companies on the list of recruiters on the event. The U.S. Embassy in Sofia was also present for the first time. 

Companies pay a fee of $120 to participate. The amount covers organizational, food and beverages costs, Aksharov explained. The Bulgarian newspaper “Capital” was the leading media that held the advertising campaign. 

AUBG alumni came to represent some of the companies. Atanas Dyulgerov, who works for Infragistics, an American software company, graduated from AUBG in Fall 2010. “We look for the will to learn, to broaden their horizons. Right now we are hiring mainly computer science students,” Dyulgerov said.

The recruitment event was oriented toward students with at least sophomore standings. Many of the companies needed candidates in their junior or senior year. That often leads to a misunderstanding between what first-year students and sophomores expect and what companies require, Aksharov said. 

Even though most of the companies are open to hire non-Bulgarian students, senior student Tanya Naydukh said that she noticed a trend that most of the companies are looking for Bulgarian speakers. “They are not open to having work permit problems with people who are not EU residents.”

Overall, students were satisfied with the number of companies who offer intern positions. Food industry companies such as Nestle and Kraft Foods were also present. Their booths were stacked with samples of chocolates and all kind of candies. The free samples on the Kraft booth gathered all sweet-toothed students. Sophomore business and economics student Ivan Guberkov complained that he asked them for their open intern positions, but they directed him to the company website, where he can find more information on career opportunities.

Another complaint came from graduating senior Hristina Nedelcheva who was rejected an already set-up interview. She first sent her CV to the Career Center, and one of the recruiting companies set up an appointment with her for 12 p.m. on April 5. As the company presenter was late, she waited for more than an hour, when there was another student with an appointment. Nedelcheva said she went to the recruiter and said that she was supposed to be interviewed at 12 p.m., but he just turned to the male student and told him to take a seat. Nedelcheva said this was a complete act of discrimination.

AUBG President David Huwiler and Vice President of Finance Alexander Alexandrov both visited the event and welcomed companies. Alexandrov commented that the event was a success despite the current economic situation.