Strong Career Connections at UDST Fair in Doha

Leaders from more than 95 companies will gather at the University of Doha for Science and Technology on 4–5 November for its flagship Career Fair, offering a prominent platform for students and alumni to access employment, internships, work placements and sponsorships. The event will take place in the university’s Multi-Purpose Hall, Building 22, and will operate from 10 am to 2 pm and 4 pm to 8 pm on day one, and 10 am to 3 pm on day two.

Organisers say the fair reflects a broader trend of closer alignment between higher-education institutions in Qatar and employers seeking fresh talent across technology, healthcare, energy, telecoms, finance, manufacturing and services. The participating sectors span technology, healthcare, business services, engineering, oil and gas, banking, telecoms, energy, industrial manufacturing, government, insurance, media, hospitality, transportation, consultancy and sport.

Among the headline features of the fair are workshop sessions held ahead of the main days, including “Job Market Trends in Qatar” hosted by Mila­ha, “Crafting a Stand-out Resume” presented by Mannai Corporation, and “AI in the Workplace” hosted by Huawei Technologies LLC, with aims to boost career readiness and employability. These pre-fair sessions highlight the increasing expectation among recruiters that graduates bring soft skills, career awareness and adaptability to the workplace.

University officials say the choice of a paperless CV-sharing system underlines a shift to more streamlined, digital processes in recruitment. Employers will receive candidate CVs directly via a registration portal, eliminating traditional paper submission. The university describes this as a “game-changer” for students seeking jobs or internships, and emphasises the opportunity to network with industry leaders, explore career options and gain industry-expert guidance.

With Qatar’s evolving labour market and its drive to diversify beyond energy and natural resources, such events signal a new emphasis on connecting academic talent with broader sectors. Global consulting firms and national champions alike are looking for graduates who can handle digital-transformation tasks, data-analytics roles and cross-sector mobility. Analysts note that Qatar’s youth population and rapid growth in STEM-related programmes are raising the stakes for more targeted career services in universities.

Nevertheless, some critics caution that while quantity of employer participation is high, the quality of alignment between students’ academic training and employers’ evolving needs remains uneven. One human-resources consultant in Doha observed that “many students arrive with strong academic credentials but limited exposure to workplace realities,” and urged universities to embed internships earlier and strengthen employer-academic feedback loops. Others emphasise that regional hiring preferences still favour local work experience and graduation from recognised institutions, which may limit opportunities for some international students or alumni from smaller programmes.