Overview

BRAC University’s Office of Career Services and Alumni Relations (OCSAR) is an important department, vested with a duty to facilitate its students’ efficient transition into working professional life; the first step in what we hope will be a successful career for you all!   

It is an obvious fact that you will not remain students forever and will have to make the jump into the competitive world of work through an arduous and often gruelling recruitment process; one which can be made that much more manageable, and even perhaps fun, if you use the support and resources that the OCSAR makes available to you.

The principles of support and guidance lie at the core of the OCSAR, simultaneously defining its function and criteria for success: measured by the long term professional accomplishments of you, its students, whom we are ultimately here to help!

Whether you need help writing a CV, or structuring a cover letter; require a better understanding of the ‘market’, 'corporate structures' or any other (possibly strange sounding) concepts; if your priority is winning an internship with a big firm, improving your interview technique, or gaining the confidence to convey your strengths intelligently to recruiters; even if you need a quick chat with one of our advisors to de-stress and make sense of the complex process of choosing a career, have no fear, for we are here to help.

As a department responsible for helping you prepare for the recruitment process and realize your potential over the course of your career, our programs have been developed to offer solutions to the inevitable challenges you will face along the way. For some students enrolment (to the PSDP for example) is mandatory, for others it is not, but every student should view enrolment as an advantage of considerable value that will 'give you the edge' over other applicants competing for jobs.
 
Services

The OCSAR offers a broad variety of programs for all BRAC University students including:

• Career advice
• Academic advice (for students questioning their major)
• CV and cover letter writing skills
• CV referrals (for students interested in completing part or full time work during their holidays or spare time)
•  Useful interview and job search techniques
• Workshops and seminars
• General help and support for career and academic related issues

The PSDP

Students will need to enrol on the Professional Skills Development Program (PSDP) in their final semester; a more intensive and focused training program than the more generic programs offered by the OCSAR to all BRAC students. Those students who successfully complete the PSDP will be awarded a certificate in recognition of the employment skills developed on it (which could be used to impress potential employers during interviews).

As noted, the PSDP covers all of the ‘universal services’ offered by the OCSAR (noted above), with substantive and notable additions:

• Careers Clinic: including individualised CV and cover letter writing sessions

• Sector specific seminars and workshops for graduating students with an interest in particular fields (often managed by senior executives from the business community and public sector)
• Individual advising (a 45 minute one-to-one session with an advisor covering the most important issues for you)
• The mock interview
• Guaranteed internship

Alumni Network

The OCSAR is responsible, for managing BRAC University’s growing community of alumni. By maintaining ties with students who graduated as far back as the University’s inception, the OCSAR ensures their skills and knowledge benefit more than just their companies, by creating a conduit to extend these into the University.

Our alumni posses a wealth of experience and hold important roles across every sector of the economy, so it won’t be difficult to find a role model whose achievements we would encourage students to match and even better, sector by sector.

Our task, moving on is to facilitate the reconfiguration of the BRAC University Alumni Association as a democratic, inclusive and effective champion of the graduating student in particular and BRAC University’s broader aspirations of achieving global excellence

What we ask from you

As students you would therefore be wise to make use of the OCSAR as soon as possible, for your immediate and long term personal benefit! Don't be one of those students who looks back, regretting the failure to make use of the skills and confidence that the OCSAR could have helped to empower you with. All that we ask is for you to meet us halfway by taking the first step.

Support is offered from as early as students seek it, so remember, the benefits that lie in wait are useless until you can make the best of them. You can drop into the OCSAR office any time for help or any career related issues (including concern about your major).

Email: dilara.khan[at]bracu.ac[dot]bd