Last month, JVS hosted a career mixer that brought together program alumni and employer partners in-person for the first time since 2020. The event, organized by JVS’s Business Development team, was attended by 25 jobseekers and 13 employer partners from healthcare, tech, banking, and other in-demand industries.
Alumni attended the event for a variety of reasons, from sharpening their networking skills to learning more about job opportunities. Chris, a JVS Data Analytics alum, attended to network and learn more about the interview process in the tech industry. “I appreciate the opportunity to network, and I hope there are more events like this that I can attend,” Chris said.
Mohammad, an alum of the Job Search Accelerator program and recent immigrant to the U.S., attended to sharpen his job search skills. “The JVS program has been excellent for me.” Mohammad said. “The job search is much different in my country. I connected today with hiring managers from two different companies, and I feel very good. Sometimes the job search process is challenging and takes time, and now I feel inspired to do my best to apply for more jobs.”
Employers who attended the event were there to share opportunities with JVS alumni and find new talent for their companies. Anita Huang, Chief of Staff for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, attended to promote San Francisco jobs to the alumni. “I wanted to make an impact, especially for those who are looking for jobs in the city and those who want to live and stay in the city,” Anita said. “I was able to meet a lot of good, passionate individuals who are looking for new opportunities. It was inspiring to see how motivated and how encouraging the JVS staff are to the jobseekers, and I think that’s a great wholistic approach for the workforce community here in the city.”
Hashim Khader, Talent Acquisition Manager for Stanford Medicine Partners, came to the event to meet potential new recruits for his company. “I’ve gotten a chance to meet JVS participants at other events, and I’m always impressed at how prepared they are for the interview and being able to explain their skills sets,” Hashim said. “We’re always interested in picking up talent from JVS and bringing them on board at Stanford Medicine Partners.”
The career mixer was primarily organized by Sesa Pabalan, Senior Partnerships Coordinator for JVS. She said that networking was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and returning to in-person events is a way to mitigate some of those impacts for JVS alum. “We wanted to create an opportunity for the jobseekers to build the important connections they need in their job search,” Sesa said. “JVS hosted the event in person so the jobseekers could connect with our employer partners face-to-face. We were also happy to host our job seekers and employer partners in our new office in McKesson Plaza.”
Employers interested in connecting with JVS for future opportunities to meet and hire our talented alumni can contact our Business Development team at employers@jvs.org to learn more about partnering with JVS.
