Global Career Summit 2024, which brings together university students from all over Turkey with the leading companies of their sectors, has started. Speaking at the summit where advice was given to students for their career journeys, QNB Finansbank Deputy General Manager of SME and Commercial Banking Engin Turhan said, "Students are probably thinking 'should we go abroad, what will we do?' There are many questions like.
"I think Turkey is a country with great opportunities, so I strongly recommend all my friends to work in this country," he said.
The 7th Global Career Summit, held this year with the motto 'Understand, Shape, Change', attracted great attention on its first day. Leaders from Turkey's leading companies attended the sessions at the summit and gave advice to students to be successful in their careers. The summit, where students attending the summit from many universities in Turkey have the opportunity to expand their career networks, will continue until February 16 at Boğaziçi University Albert Long Hall.
Turhan: “Students should be aware of themselves”
Stating that the summit was very useful and giving suggestions to the students, QNB Finansbank Deputy General Manager of SME and Commercial Banking Engin Turhan said, “Global Career Summit has been held for many years and we have been the main sponsor for about 3 years. We enjoy this very much because being with young people in this organization gives us great energy. Some of our friends here will probably be pursuing their career journeys in the banking sector. Students must be self-aware. They need to read the period well and follow it well. It is very critical for them to invest in their own competencies, because in this period we can find information everywhere, but we spend a lot of time checking the accuracy of the information. We are encountering very different things, we are in the period of black swans. In the last 5 years, we have encountered black swans with a very wide impact almost every year, including the pandemic. It is not easy for them to survive and direct their own future in these times. "They should understand the spirit of the times well and invest a lot in durability in terms of competencies," he said.
“It is not possible to achieve anything without working”
Stating that Turkey is a country full of opportunities, Turhan said, “We have friends who joined here from very good universities. Students are probably thinking 'should we go abroad, what will we do?' There are many questions like. I think Turkey is a country with great opportunities, so I strongly recommend all my friends to work in this country. Let them choose the right sector. "It is not possible to achieve anything without working," he said.
Erzi: “My biggest advice is not to remain idle.”
Giving advice to students about their careers, Unilever Ice Cream Business Unit Turkey, Middle East Human Resources Director Başak Erzi said, “Career always begins and never ends with the person himself. I don't believe in such a thing as career ending. One just kneads it like dough over time. If he is proactive, takes control of himself and shapes it himself, without being idle, the better results he will get. Therefore, my biggest advice is not to remain idle, to take control, to be very proactive and to be yourself. "They should shape themselves according to their own passions and skills, not by someone else's patterns and rules, or by any company or industry," he said.
Çakıroğlu: “Our aim is to explain the career opportunities of companies to students”
3İK Brand Communication Agency President Alper Çakıroğlu said, “As an agency, we are celebrating our 15th anniversary and we are organizing the 7th Global Career Summit this year. Today, more than 500 of our student friends are meeting with valuable managers of more than 30 companies. Our aim is to explain the career opportunities of companies to students and to achieve a good synergy. At the core of this event are the career opportunities offered by companies to students, and we host managers of very important companies that both came from global to Turkey and went from Turkey to global. At the same time, our students from all over Turkey are with us. They are all bright students, their greatest expectation is to choose the right profession and the one they are most passionate about. "We are trying to provide a bridge to this as much as possible," he said.
“I have the opportunity to meet companies closely.”
Furkan Özdemir, a 3rd year student studying Naval Engineering at Istanbul Technical University, who aims to make a difference in his career, said, “I am trying to capture more than what my own department has given me. Great companies, both local, national and global, come here and I have the opportunity to meet these companies closely. At the same time, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to introduce myself. "Since I study at Istanbul Technical University, my department is only related to the engineering department, but I am trying to make a difference in my career through purchasing and customer relations," he said.
“I want to appeal a little more globally”
Gülnihan Sarı, a 3rd year student at Istanbul Beykoz University Department of Psychology, said, “I am a psychology student, and although psychology seems to be more generally interested in areas such as clinical and neuropsychology, I am interested in work psychology. Very important companies come here. I attended this event to better understand the customer relations and human resources of these companies. I want to appeal a little more globally. That's why I'm interested in industry and customer relations. "As a psychology student, I participated in this event to offer me a different perspective rather than working in a narrow field," he said. The summit, which has received more than 50 thousand applications, more than 10 thousand participants and more than 20 million digital access to date, will continue until February 16 at Boğaziçi University Albert Long Hall.