Shape Your Career

Lebanon suffers from a high youth unemployment rate of 24% (35% among youth) and made worse by the influx of more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees. This rate hinders economic growth and needs to be addressed in order to create a more prosperous economy and inclusive society. Two major culprits of youth unemployment are typically the educational system that affects labor supply on the one hand, and economic policies that affect labor demand on the other. Moreover, a big part of this issue is that many university students lack sufficient career guidance in their field of work and often after months of searching, are unable to find any promising opportunities. There is a great need to connect university students to professionals in their field of work, who can highlight the challenges and opportunities, and offer feedback, insight, guidance, and mentor-ship on how to navigate through the job market in Lebanon.

The Global Shapers Hub in partnership with the Faculty of Arts & Sciences at the American University of Beirut will host a one day forum (which includes a panel discussion, mentoring and a set of workshops) for students looking for employment or for those about to enter the labor force by connecting them with experts from different industries ranging from academia to media to entrepreneurship. The conference will feature a panel of experts set to share their experience with the attendees.  It will also feature a speed mentoring section where students will get a chance to have a one-on-one with mentors.  Finally, there will be a series of workshops covering a variety of skills that they can register for. We have dedicated 2 hours for the panel discussions covering the fields of Academia, Entrepreneurship, Food & Beverage, Media, and Non-Profit Work. 

Event Program 
- 10:00 AM: Opening & Introductions
- 10:30 AM: Panel
- 12:00 PM: Speed Networking/Mentoring event
- 1:00 PM: Lunch
- 2:00 PM: First series of workshops (4 or 5 running together)
- 4:00 PM: Second series of workshops (4 or 5 running together)
- 6:00 PM: Closing

Panel: Personal Discussions about Professional Development
Moderator: 
- Youmna Naufal, Global Shapers Beirut Hub Curator
Panelists:
- Donald Batal: CEO of Ministry of Food sal (Classic Burger Joint & Tomatomatic)
- Eddy Maroun: Co-founder & CEO at Anghami
- Zeina Saab: Founder & Executive Director of The Nawaya Network
- Mahmoud Haidar: Chairman of Advisory Board, AUB
- Ghida Majzoub: TV Host at Future TV

2:00 PM Workshops:
- Writing a CV & Cover Letter by Tara Nehme
- Job Contracts & Labor Law by Serge Airut
- Social Media for Self-Branding by Philippe Abou Zeid
- Business Etiquette/Professionalism in the Workplace by Hasan Youness
- Work-Life Balance and Stress Management by Haitham Khoury
- Entrepreneurship Development by Tarek Matar

4:00 PM Workshops
- How to Ace Job Interviews by Kim Issa
- How to Find a Job Online/Linkedin by Mohammad Hijazi
- Starting Your Own Business by Andre Abi Awad
- Public Speaking & How to Give a Presentation by Sadika Kebbi (Toastmasters International)
- Life Coaching by Roni Matar